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Digestive System Diseases and Disorders
The digestive system is made up of the "digestive tract" -- which is, according to the National Institutes of Health, a "series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus" -- and additional organs that are part of the system that helps humans "break down and absorb food" (National Institutes of Health -- NIH, 2009). If something goes wrong in the digestive system it can have serious consequences for the individual. This paper identifies some of the disorders that are associated with the digestive system. The organs that are part of the digestive system include the mouth, the esophagus, the stomach, the small and large intestines (the large intestine is also called the "colon"), the rectum and the anus (NIH, p. 1).
The digestive system is one of the most important parts of the human body because food intake is what gives the body the nourishment to function properly. The digestive system is a key part of the functioning body because, as the NIH writes, "When you eat foods -- like...
1). The food and liquids that humans take in have to be "changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before they can be absorbed into the blood" (NIH, p. 1). Once the molecules of nutrients are absorbed into the blood system, they are then circulated throughout the body and give the person the energy to function well.
Disorders and Diseases in the Digestive System
The list of disorders and diseases that can afflict a person in the digestive system is long; for the purposes of this paper a few will be mentioned: Acid Reflux, Appendicitis, Bile Duct Diseases, Intestinal Obstruction, Esophagus Disorders, Cirrhosis, Colon Cancer, Chron's Disease, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Duodenal Ulcer, Foodborne Illness, Gallstones, Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Hemorrhoids, Hepatitis A, B, C, Hernia, Jaundice, Liver Cancer, and Gastroenteritis.
Meanwhile one of the most common disorders of the digestive system is Foodborne illness; the National Library of…
Works Cited
Medline Plus. (2010). Digestive System. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved May 7, 2011,
from http://www.nim.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html.
Medline Plus. (2010). Foodborne Illnesses. National Library of Medicine / National Institutes of Health. Retrieved May 7, 2011, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodborneillness.html.
National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse. (2010). Your Digestive System and How
It Works. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/.
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