Content feed Comments Feed
Sponsors

An inguinal hernia occurs when intra-abdominal fat or part of the small intestine bulges through a weak spot in the lower abdominal muscles. An inguinal hernia occurs in the groin—the area between the abdomen and thigh.

Inguinal hernia occurs more commonly in males than females and can occur any time from infancy to adulthood.

Types

There are two types of inguinal hernia: direct hernia and indirect hernia. These two types have different causes.

Indirect Inguinal Hernia

Indirect inguinal hernias are congenital hernias and are much more common in males than females because of the way males develop in the womb.

Inguinal HerniaIn a male fetus, the spermatic cord and both testicles—starting from an intra-abdominal location—normally descend through the inguinal canal into the scrotum, the sac that holds the testicles. Sometimes the entrance of the inguinal canal at the inguinal ring does not close as it should just after birth, leaving a weakness in the abdominal wall. Fat or part of the small intestine slides through the weakness into the inguinal canal, causing a hernia.

In females, an indirect inguinal hernia is caused by the female organs or the small intestine sliding into the groin through a weakness in the abdominal wall.

Indirect hernias are the most common type of inguinal hernia. Premature infants are especially at risk for indirect inguinal hernias because there is less time for the inguinal canal to close.

Direct inguinal hernia

Direct inguinal hernias are caused by connective tissue degeneration of the abdominal muscles, which causes weakening of the muscles during the adult years. Direct inguinal hernias occur only in males. The hernia involves fat or the small intestine sliding through the weak muscles into the groin. A direct hernia develops gradually because of continuous stress on the muscles. One or more of the following factors can cause pressure on the abdominal muscles and may worsen the hernia:

 sudden twists, pulls, or muscle strains

 lifting heavy objects

 straining on the toilet because of constipation

 weight gain

 chronic coughing
Indirect and direct inguinal hernias usually slide back and forth spontaneously through the inguinal canal and can often be moved back into the abdomen with gentle massage.

Symptoms

Symptoms of an inguinal hernia usually appear gradually and include a bulge in the groin, discomfort or sharp pain, a feeling of weakness or pressure in the groin, and a burning, gurgling, or aching feeling at the bulge.

Incarcerated and Strangulated Inguinal Hernias

An incarcerated inguinal hernia is a hernia that becomes stuck in the groin or scrotum and cannot be massaged back into the abdomen.

A strangulated hernia, in which the blood supply to the incarcerated small intestine is jeopardized. This condition is serious, which requires immediate medical care. Symptoms include extreme tenderness and redness in the area of the bulge, sudden pain that worsens quickly, fever, rapid heart rate, nausea, and vomiting.

Diagnosis of Inguinal Hernia

To diagnose inguinal hernia, the doctor takes a thorough medical history and conducts a physical examination. The person may be asked to stand and cough so the doctor can feel the hernia as it moves into the groin or scrotum. The doctor checks to see if the hernia can be gently massaged back into its proper position in the abdomen.

Treatment of Inguinal Hernia

Inguinal hernias may be repaired through surgery. Surgery is performed through one incision or with a laparoscope and several small incisions.

Surgery for inguinal hernia is usually done on an outpatient basis. Recovery time varies depending on the size of the hernia, the technique used, and the age and health of the patient.

Complications

Complications from inguinal hernia surgery are rare and can include general anesthesia complications, hernia recurrence, bleeding, wound infection, painful scar, and injury to internal organs.

Suggested Readings:

View all Digestive Diseases Topics

Source: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). NIH Publication No. 09–4634, December 2008

[Top of Page]

The stomach is a j-shaped, hollow, distensible organ located in the upper left corner of the abdomen. The stomach has several digestive glands, which produce stomach acid and enzyme that digest protein.

Common Stomach Diseases or Disorders

Illustration of the digestive tract, showing the location of the stomach.Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS)

CVS is characterized by episodes or cycles of severe nausea and vomiting that last for hours, or even days, that alternate with intervals with no symptoms. Although originally thought to be a pediatric disease, CVS occurs in all age groups. Medical researchers believe CVS and migraine headaches are related.

Many people can identify a specific condition or event that triggered an episode, such as an infection. Common triggers in children include emotional stress and excitement. Anxiety and panic attacks are more common triggers in adults. Colds, allergies, sinus problems, and the flu can also set off episodes in some people.
Other reported triggers include eating certain foods such as chocolate or cheese, eating too much, or eating just before going to bed. Hot weather, physical exhaustion, menstruation, and motion sickness can also trigger episodes.

Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis, is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. It is also known as delayed gastric emptying. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The vagus nerve controls the movement of food from the stomach through the digestive tract. Gastroparesis occurs when the vagus nerve is damaged and the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally. Food then moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract.

Gastroparesis may occur in people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The vagus nerve becomes damaged after years of high blood glucose, resulting in gastroparesis. In turn, gastroparesis contributes to poor blood glucose control.

Symptoms of gastroparesis include early fullness, abdominal pain, stomach spasms, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, bloating, gastroesophageal reflux, lack of appetite, and weight loss.

Gastritis

Gastritis is not a single disease, but several different conditions that all have inflammation of the stomach lining. Gastritis can be caused by drinking too much alcohol, prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen, or infection with bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Sometimes gastritis develops after major surgery, traumatic injury, burns, or severe infections. Certain diseases, such as pernicious anemia, autoimmune disorders, and chronic bile reflux, can cause gastritis as well.

The most common symptoms are abdominal upset or pain. Other symptoms are belching, abdominal bloating, nausea, and vomiting or a feeling of fullness or of burning in the upper abdomen. Blood in your vomit or black stools may be a sign of bleeding in the stomach, which may indicate a serious problem requiring immediate medical attention.


Peptic Ulcers

A peptic ulcer is a sore on the lining of the stomach or duodenum, which is the beginning of the small intestine. Peptic ulcers are common: One in 10 Americans develops an ulcer at some time in his or her life. One cause of peptic ulcer is bacterial infection, but some ulcers are caused by long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), like aspirin and ibuprofen. In a few cases, cancerous tumors in the stomach or pancreas can cause ulcers. Peptic ulcers are not caused by stress or eating spicy food, but these can make ulcers worse.

The most common symptom of peptic ulcer is abdominal discomfort. Other symptoms may include weight loss, poor appetite, bloating, burping, nausea, and vomiting. Some people experience only very mild symptoms or none at all.

Indigestion

Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia, is a term used to describe one or more symptoms including a feeling of fullness during a meal, uncomfortable fullness after a meal, and burning or pain in the upper abdomen.

Most people with indigestion experience more than one of the following symptoms:
 The person feels overly full soon after the meal starts and cannot finish the meal.
 The person feels overly full after a meal—it may feel like the food is staying in the stomach too long.

 The epigastric area is between the lower end of the chest bone and the navel. The person may experience epigastric pain ranging from mild to severe.

 The person feels an unpleasant sensation of heat in the epigastric area.
Other, less frequent symptoms that may occur with indigestion are nausea and bloating—an unpleasant tightness in the stomach. Nausea and bloating could be due to causes other than indigestion.

Rapid Gastric Emptying

Rapid gastric emptying, also called dumping syndrome, occurs when undigested food empties too quickly into the small intestine.

Early rapid gastric emptying begins either during or right after a meal. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, dizziness, and fatigue. Late rapid gastric emptying occurs 1 to 3 hours after eating. Symptoms include hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar; weakness; sweating; and dizziness. Experiencing both forms of gastric emptying is not uncommon.

Rare Stomach Disorder

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES)

ZES is a rare disorder characterized by one or more tumors in the pancreas, duodenum, or both. The tumors cause the stomach to make too much acid, leading to peptic ulcers in the duodenum. The tumors are sometimes cancerous and spread to other areas of the body.

Symptoms of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome are similar to those of peptic ulcers and include burning abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, severe gastroesophageal reflux—a condition where gastric acid and food from the stomach backs up into the esophagus.

Suggested Reading:

View all Digestive Diseases Topics

Information courtesy of the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Page Last Revised: December 4, 2010

[Top of Page]

The Inflamed Appendix

Appendicitis is the medical term for the inflammation of the appendix. The appendix is a fingerlike pouch attached to the first part of the large intestine called cecum. It is located in the lower right area of the abdomen.

Although anyone can get appendicitis, it is more common among people aged 10 to 30 years old.

Experts are not sure what the appendix does, if anything. The removal of the appendix does not seem to affect a person’s health. The inside portion of the appendix is called the appendiceal lumen. The mucus that the appendix creates travel through the appendiceal lumen and empties into the large intestine.

Illustration of the digestive tract, showing the location of the appendix.Causes

Appendicitis is commonly caused by obstruction of the appendix’x lumen. This can cause bacteria that normally live inside the appendix to multiply. As a result, the appendix becomes infected and become swollen. Obstruction of the appendix can be caused by

 feces, parasites, or growths that clog the appendiceal lumen
 enlarged lymph tissue in the wall of the appendix, caused by infection in the gastrointestinal tract or elsewhere in the body
 inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
 trauma to the abdomen

There is danger of the inflamed appendix to burst. When this happens, the infection can spread to nearby organs in the abdomen—a condition called peritonitis. This is a potentially dangerous condition, which requires immediate medical care.

Symptoms of Appendicitis

The most common symptom of appendicitis is pain in the abdomen. The abdominal pain usually

 occurs suddenly, often causing a person to wake up at night
 occurs before other symptoms
 begins near the belly button and then moves lower and to the right
 is new and unlike any pain felt before
 gets worse in a matter of hours
 gets worse when moving around, taking deep breaths, coughing, or sneezing
Other symptoms of appendicitis may include
 loss of appetite
 nausea
 vomiting
 constipation or diarrhea
 inability to pass gas
 a low-grade fever that follows other symptoms
 abdominal swelling
 the feeling that passing stool will relieve discomfort
Diagnosis of Appendicitis

A doctor or other health care provider can diagnose most cases of appendicitis by taking a person’s medical history and performing a physical examination. If a person shows classic symptoms, a doctor may suggest surgery right away to remove the appendix before it bursts.

Doctors may use laboratory and imaging tests, such as blood tests, computed tomography (CT) scans, and abdominal x ray to confirm appendicitis if a person does not have classic symptoms. Tests may also help diagnose appendicitis in people who cannot adequately describe their symptoms, such as children or the mentally impaired.

Treatment of Appendicitis

Surgery

Typically, removing the appendix treats appendicitis. If appendicitis is suspected, a doctor will often suggest surgery without conducting extensive diagnostic testing. Prompt surgery decreases the likelihood the appendix will burst.

Surgery to remove the appendix is called appendectomy and can be done two ways. The older method, called laparotomy, removes the appendix through a single incision in the lower right area of the abdomen. The newer method, called laparoscopic surgery, uses several smaller incisions and special surgical tools fed through the incisions to remove the appendix. Laparoscopic surgery leads to fewer complications, such as hospital-related infections, and has a shorter recovery time.

Surgery occasionally reveals a normal appendix. In such cases, many surgeons will remove the healthy appendix to eliminate the future possibility of appendicitis. Occasionally, surgery reveals a different problem, which may also be corrected during surgery.

Sometimes abscess forms around a burst appendix—called an appendiceal abscess. An abscess is a pus-filled mass that results from the body’s attempt to keep an infection from spreading. An abscess may be addressed during surgery or, more commonly, drained before surgery. To drain an abscess, a tube is placed in the abscess through the abdominal wall. CT is used to help find the abscess. The drainage tube is left in place for about 2 weeks while antibiotics are given to treat infection. Six to 8 weeks later, when infection and inflammation are under control, surgery is performed to remove what remains of the burst appendix.

Nonsurgical Treatment

Nonsurgical treatment may be used if surgery is not available, if a person is not well enough to undergo surgery, or if the diagnosis is unclear. Some research suggests that appendicitis can get better without surgery. Nonsurgical treatment includes antibiotics to treat infection and a liquid or soft diet until the infection subsides. A soft diet is low in fiber and easily breaks down in the gastrointestinal tract.

Recovery

With adequate care, most people recover from appendicitis and do not need to make changes to diet, exercise, or lifestyle. Full recovery from surgery takes about 4 to 6 weeks. Limiting physical activity during this time allows tissues to heal.

Suggested Readings:

View all Digestive Diseases Topics

Source: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). NIH Publication No. 09–4547, November 2008

Page Last Revised: December 4, 2010

[Top of Page]

Thank you for visiting the Digestive System Diseases website.

Contacting the webmaster

Please be aware that we cannot reply to email questions about your specific health problems. We recommend that you direct your questions to your medical doctor.

The information in this website is meant to serve as an aid to understand general descriptions of health conditions and other health matters and not to replace a consultation with a qualified healthcare provider. You should not use the information in this website to formulate your own treatment plan. Your healthcare provider can determine which optimal medical and dietary plan is best for you.

To report any broken links, request for health topics to be featured in our website, or other concerns about our website, you can contact the webmaster at davidkm77(@)gmail(dot)com. View information about our privacy policy.Thank you very much.

[Top of Page]

Privacy Statement

Of the information we learn about you from your visit to Digestive System Diseases website "digestivesystemdiseases.blogspot.com," we store only the following: the domain name from which you access the Internet, the date and time you access our site, and the Internet address of the web site from which you direct-linked to our site. This information is used to measure the number of visitors to the various sections of our site and to help us make our site more useful to visitors.

Unless it is specifically stated otherwise, no additional information will be collected about you. When inquiries are emailed to us, we store the question and the email address information so that we can respond electronically. Unless otherwise required by statute, we do not identify publicly who sends questions or comments to our web site. We will not obtain information that will allow us to personally identify you when you visit our site, unless you chose to provide such information to us.

Mission and Disclaimer

Digestive System Diseases is a health education website, providing information for the general public about diseases or disorders of the digestive system, health news and consumer health informations. The information on this website is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding medical conditions. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem.

This website provides links to other organizations as a service to our readers and is not responsible for the information, services, or products provided by these web sites, health professionals, or companies. If you access another site through a link we provide, you are subject to the privacy policy of that site. Reference in this referred website to commercial products, services, manufacturers, or companies does not constitute an endorsement by "digestivesystemdiseases.blogspot.com".

Advertisement Policy

Advertisements on this site are clearly stated as ads, ad links, affiliates/affiliate links or advertisements. They are provided for information purposes only and they do not constitute endorsements of those sites or products.

Pop-Up Advertisements

When visiting our website, your Web browser may produce pop-up advertisements. These advertisements were most likely produced by other websites you visited or by third-party software installed on your computer. This website (Digestive System Diseases) doesn’t produce pop-up ads and doesn’t endorse or recommend products or services for which you may view a pop-up ad on your computer screen while visiting this site.

Log Files

Like many other Web sites, digestivesystemdiseases.blogspot.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising/affiliate partners include Clickbank.

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on digestivesystemdiseases.blogspot.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

The Digestive System Diseases Website has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers. You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.dsdisorders.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.

Contacting the Webmaster

Digestive System Diseases does not provide specific medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Your doctor can provide you with more information about your specific health problem or concerns.

For other concerns, you can contact the webmaster at: davidkm77 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Privacy Statement, Mission and Disclaimer, Advertisement Policy, Pop-Up Advertisements, Accreditation, and Site Maintenance
Published: September 26, 2009
Last Revised: September 23, 2010


[Top of Page]

Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding medical conditions. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem. The Digestive System Diseases website provides links to other organizations as a service to our readers and is not responsible for the information, services, or products provided by these web sites, health professionals, or companies.

Copyright © 2017 Digestive System Diseases. Spread the Love and Abundance!
eXTReMe Tracker

Our Site