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Gastrointestinal System
Celiac Disease | 975 Members |
| Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder of the digestive system that occurs in genetically-predisposed individuals. It is characterised by damage or flattening to all or part of the villi lining the small intestine, which interf... | |
Cholecystitis | 26 Members |
| Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. It is commonly due to impaction (sticking) of a gallstone within the neck of the gall bladder, leading to inspissation of bile, bile stasis, and infection by gut organisms. Cholecy... | |
Cirrhosis | 513 Members |
| Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrotic scar tissue as well as regenerative nodules, leading to progressive loss of liver function. Cirrhosis is most commonly ca... | |
Colon Cancer | 421 Members |
| Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or bowel cancer, includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. It is the third most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of death among cancers in the Weste... | |
Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis | 2300 Members |
| Crohn's disease is a systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of unknown cause, that results in chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract. It can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, and can also cause ... | |
Diets & Weight Maintenance | 9386 Members |
| Dieting is the practice of eating (and drinking) in a regulated fashion to achieve a particular, short term objective. There are many, many kinds of diets which fall into several different categories. Weight-loss diets restrict... | |
Diverticulitis | 679 Members |
| Diverticulitis is a common disease of the bowel, in particular the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches (diverticula) on the outside of the colon. Diverticulitis res... | |
Dysentery | |
| Dysentery is an illness involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. It is caused by ingestion of food containing bacteria, causing a disease in which inflammation of the intestines affect the body s... | |
Esophageal Cancer | 114 Members |
| Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes. Esophageal tumors usually lead to dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), pain and other symptoms, and is diagnosed with biopsy. Small and localized tumors a... | |
Fatty Liver Disease | 135 Members |
| Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is fatty inflammation of the liver when this is not due to excessive alcohol use. It is related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, and may respond to treatments originally d... | |
Gallstones | 244 Members |
| Gallstones (choleliths) are crystalline bodies formed within the body by accretion or concretion of normal or abnormal bile components. Cholesterol stones are usually green, but are sometimes white or yellow in color and accou... | |
Gastric Bypass Surgery | 3317 Members |
| Gastric bypass (GBP) is any of a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight as fatty tissue, and the resultant health problems ("co-morbid... | |
Gastric Cancer | 85 Members |
| Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs, particularly the esophagus, small intestine. It also may extend through the stomach wall... | |
Gastritis | 186 Members |
| Gastritis is a medical term for inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis does not mean that there is an peptic ulc... | |
GERD & Heartburn | 1075 Members |
| Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is defined as chronic symptoms or mucosal damage produced by the abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. This is commonly due to transient or permanent changes in the barrier ... | |
Healthy Eating | 1265 Members |
| This community is a forum for people who are determined to improve their eating habits for health, personal wellness and other reasons. What you eat can have a dramatic impact on your life expectancy, your mood, your physical and ... | |
Hemochromatosis | 202 Members |
| Haemochromatosis, also spelled hemochromatosis, is a hereditary disease characterized by improper processing by the body of dietary iron which causes iron to accumulate in a number of body tissues, eventually causing organ dysfunc... | |
Hemorrhoids | 149 Members |
| Hemorrhoids (also known as haemorrhoids or piles) are varicosities or swelling and inflammation of veins in the rectum and anus. Two of the most common types of hemorrhoids are external and internal hemorrhoids. External hemorrhoi... | |
Hepatitis B | 238 Members |
| Originally known as serum hepatitis, hepatitis B has only been recognized as such since World War II, and has caused current epidemics in parts of Asia and Africa. Hepatitis B is recognized as endemic in China and various other pa... | |
Hepatitis C | 2441 Members |
| Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with... | |
Hiatal Hernia | 259 Members |
| Hiatus hernia or hiatal hernia is the protrusion (or hernia) of the upper part of the stomach into the thorax through a tear or weakness in the diaphragm. The symptoms include acid reflux, pains, similar to heartburn, in the chest... | |
Inguinal Hernia | 29 Members |
| Inguinal hernias are protrusions of abdominal cavity contents through an area of the abdominal wall commonly referred to as the groin, and known in anatomic language as the inguinal area or the myopectineal orifice. They are very ... | |
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) | 1844 Members |
| Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or spastic colon is a functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits that is not associated with any abnormalities seen on routine clinical testing. It is fairl... | |
Lactose Intolerance | 297 Members |
| Lactose intolerance is the condition in which lactase, an enzyme needed for proper metabolization of lactose (a constituent of milk and other dairy products), is not produced in adulthood. A hydrogen breath test is required for a ... | |
Liver Cancer | 150 Members |
| Hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver (medical terms pertaining to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hepar). These growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may... | |
Obesity | 4407 Members |
| Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals is increased to a point where it is thought to be a significant risk factor in certain health conditions, leading to incr... | |
Organ Transplants | 266 Members |
| An organ transplant is the transplantation of a whole or partial organ from one body to another (or from a donor site on the patient's own body), for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or failing organ with a working... | |
Pancreatic Cancer | 173 Members |
| Pancreatic cancer (also called cancer of the pancreas) is represented by the growth of a malignant tumour within the small pancreas organ. Each year about 31,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with this condition, ... | |
Pancreatitis | 336 Members |
| Chronic pancreatitis can present as episodes of acute inflammation in a previously injured pancreas, or as chronic damage with persistent pain or malabsorption. Patients with chronic pancreatitis can present with persistent abd... | |
Peptic Ulcers | 85 Members |
| A peptic ulcer is an ulcer of one of those areas of the gastrointestinal tract that are usually acidic. A more general term, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), is also in use. Most ulcers are now known to be associated with Helicobact... | |
Vegetarians & Vegans | 1114 Members |
| Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming the flesh of any animal (including sea animals) with or without also eschewing other animal derivatives, such as dairy products or eggs. Some vegetarians also choose to refrain from w... | |





