BIOLOGY• SOURCE

Take It Further
You may have heard about a surgical
procedure to treat obesity called
gastric bypass surgery. Find out
more about this type of surgery.
Summarize your findings by
answering these questions:
1. What is gastric bypass surgery?
2. What are some risks of this
procedure?
Figure 10.31 Coloured X-ray of Figure 10.32 A capsule endoscope or “pill cam” 3. What are some benefits of
a patient’s abdomen showing an is swallowed like a pill. this procedure?
endoscope winding through the colon 4. Who is a candidate for this
procedure?
A less invasive procedure requires the patient to swallow a pill that
contains a camera (Figure 10.32). As the pill proceeds through the intestines,
it takes pictures of the structures. The pill is later eliminated in the feces.
Table 10.4 summarizes some digestive disorders and diagnoses.

Table 10.4 Examples of Digestive Disorders

Gastroesophageal Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs when acid Since smoking, drinking alcohol, and excess eating
reflux disease from the stomach spills back up into the esophagus seem to make this condition worse, doctors suggest
(GERD) so frequently that it harms the lining of the that they be avoided. Antacids are prescribed to
esophagus. neutralize the stomach acid. Sometimes surgery is
needed to strengthen the muscle that sits at the
junction between the esophagus and the stomach.

Ulcer If the stomach lining is broken down it becomes In order to properly diagnose an ulcer, a doctor may
irritated by gastric acid. The gastric acid can also order a number of diagnostic tests including a blood
spill into other parts of the digestive system and test, feces or stool test, barium X-ray, and endoscopy.
irritate the tissues of nearby organs. Sores found in Barium is a white metallic liquid that coats the
the stomach lining, esophagus or the upper small digestive system and makes the ulcer more visible
intestine are called peptic ulcers. in the radiograph produced by the X-ray. The blood
and stool tests are used to identify the presence of
H. pylori bacteria, the cause of most ulcers.

Inflammatory In inflammatory bowel disease, the intestines become The exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease
bowel disease irritated and inflamed and develop many ulcers, is still being researched. It is thought that the
(IBD) causing abdominal pain and diarrhea. Two common presence of foreign substances in the intestines
inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and may cause the body to attack itself in order to rid
Crohn’s disease. Ulcerative colitis is found in continuous itself of the foreign invaders. This allergic type of
sections of the intestine and rectum. Crohn’s disease reaction causes inflammation, which results in the
may occur anywhere in the digestive tract. development of ulcers.

Constipation Constipation occurs when peristalsis moves the feces To prevent constipation:
along too slowly or when the colon absorbs too • Eat a healthy diet that contains a lot of fibre, such as
much water and the feces become too compacted. fruit, vegetables, and grains. Fibre adds softness and
Constipation is usually a temporary condition bulk to the waste in the colon. As a result, the waste
resulting from a diet that does not include enough can pass through the colon more easily.
plant fibre. Constipation sometimes results from • Get plenty of exercise.
surgery, medication, air travel, and pregnancy. • Drink at least 1 L of water every day.

Diarrhea If the lining of the colon is irritated — by a viral or A healthy patient usually recovers from diarrhea
bacterial infection, for instance — the colon is less within several days, given enough clean water
effective in reclaiming water, and diarrhea may and nutritious food. However, diarrhea can also
result. Severe diarrhea can cause dehydration and be a symptom of more serious disease, such as
become life-threatening without treatment. inflammatory bowel disease.

©P Chapter 10 Animals obtain and process nutrients for energy and growth from the food they eat. 295

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