No one likes talking about their digestive problems.
The fact of the matter is that digestive problems are fairly common. If you can recognize the symptoms early on, you can take the steps to treat them and move on with your life. When you let the symptoms linger, they can worsen and cause other, more serious issues down the line.
In this post, we’re going to help you recognize 5 of the most common digestive problems by giving you the signs and symptoms to look out for. As long as you can quickly diagnose problems, you can take the right measures to get them sorted.
1. Stomach Flu
Stomach flu is just an infection of the stomach or upper part of the small intestine. Also known as gastroenteritis, it usually clears up on its own, but you’ll want to drink lots of fluids to stave off the dehydration you could experience from vomiting and diarrhea.
The most common symptoms of stomach flu are diarrhea, vomiting, and pains cramps mostly in the stomach area.
2. IBD
Inflammatory bowel disease is an extended inflammation of the digestive tract, not to be confused with IBS, which is its more common and less serious counterpart. Chrohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two common forms of IBD, affecting over a million Americans.
Because IBD is an autoimmune disease, it causes abnormal system reactions, resulting in swelling, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and weight loss.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) doesn’t harm your digestive tract as IBD does. It’s unclear what causes IBS, but it comes with stomach pain that occurs at least 3 times a month for 3 consecutive months, as well as diarrhea and/or constipation. IBS can be treated by eating smaller meals, avoiding triggering foods, and gut reset (read this to learn more about gut reset).
3. Celiac Disease
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease can be hard to distinguish from one another from symptoms alone. If you’re experiencing diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain, it could be either, so pay your doctor a visit.
Unlike gluten sensitivity, which affects 5% of the population and can simply be treated by eliminating gluten from the diet, celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that can damage your digestive tract. Quick diagnosis is the best way to avoid this.
4. Hemorrhoids
You can’t miss hemorrhoids, as they are painful, swollen blood vessels in the anal canal. They cause itchiness and irritation, as well as blood after bowel movements, but can be treated with warm baths, creams, and suppositories.
The main causes of hemorrhoids have to do with constipation and pregnancy but can be avoided with a high fiber diet and lots of fluids. If they persist, you should talk to a doctor about your options.
5. GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) – a ring of muscles connecting your stomach and esophagus – is weakened. Basically, your esophagus moves food into your stomach, but if the LES is weak, stomach acid can leak back up into your esophagus and cause heartburn, the main symptom of GERD.
Although this is a common disease, if left untreated, it can do serious damage to your esophagus. Lifestyle and diet changes can treat GERD, but in some cases, medication is required.
Fighting Common Digestive Problems
As you can see, these common digestive problems are usually very treatable, but you shouldn’t let that discourage you from talking to your doctor. Any condition, if left to worsen, can cause major issues down the road. Get yourself checked out and conquer your digestive issues today.
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