Because the gastrointestinal system is made of many parts and, of course, the medical terms for them, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it can be prone to all sorts of ailments and maladies. Mouth conditions are some of the most obvious to the naked eye. Thankfully, two types of professionals can help find solutions to maladies of the mouth that affect mastication (chewing).
Ask any parent about your friendly, neighborhood orthodontist — she or he specializes in the correction of deformed, crooked, or maloccluded (crooked or misaligned) teeth. The periodontist specializes in diseases of the tissue around the teeth. Don’t forget the good old dentist, who takes care of dental issues; and the oral and maxillofacial surgeons who deal with dental and facial surgery to repair things like cleft palates and dental trauma.
Now, take a closer look at some of the conditions these specialists treat:
Aphthous stomatitis: Canker sores in mouth
Bruxism: Grinding teeth involuntarily, often while sleeping
Cleft palate: Congenital split in the roof of the mouth or upper lip
Dental caries: Cavities in the teeth (caries means “decay”)
Dysphasia: Difficulty speaking
Edentulous: Without teeth
Gingivitis: Inflammation of gums
Halitosis: Bad breath
Herpes simplex: Cold sore or fever blister on lip or nose due to herpes virus
Leukoplakia: White plaques or patches of mouth mucosa
Sublingual: Under the tongue
Your baby teeth are also called the primary teeth. Your first teeth (20 in all) include 8 incisors, 4 cuspids, and 8 molars. Your permanent teeth number 32, with 8 incisors, 8 premolars, 4 canines, and 12 molars.
The esophagus is the next stop on your tour of gastrointestinal conditions. Many of the following conditions result in discomfort both in swallowing (deglutition) and in the digestion process:
Aphagia: Inability to swallow
Dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing
Esophageal varices: Just like varicose veins in the legs; boggy veins with inefficient valves that allow venous backflow, resulting in stagnant blood in bulging veins
Esophagitis: Inflammation of the esophagus
Heartburn: Burning sensation caused by reflux or flowing back of acid from the stomach into esophagus
To keep dysphasia and dysphagia straight, remember the s in dysphasia for “speak,” and the g in dysphagia for “gag.”
Moving south, you find the stomach, an area full of possibility when it comes to conditions. Gastroenterology is the study of the stomach and intestines, and a gastroenterologist is the physician who treats conditions of the stomach and intestines.
Many of the conditions that eventually affect the esophagus or intestines start in the stomach. So, have your antacids ready for these:
Dyspepsia: Difficult digestion
Emesis (vomiting): Stomach contents expelled through the mouth
Eructation: Act of belching or raising gas from stomach
Gastric ulcer: Lesion on wall of stomach; also known as peptic ulcer
Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach
Gastrodynia: Pain in the stomach
Hematemesis: Vomiting of blood
Hiatal hernia: Protrusion of part of the stomach through the esophageal opening into diaphragm
Hyperemesis: Excessive vomiting
Nasogastric: Pertaining to nose and stomach
Nausea: Urge to vomit
Regurgitation: Return of solids and fluids to mouth from stomach
Ulcer: Sore or lesion of mucous membrane or skin
The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder all experience their own specific conditions, the most common of which is good, old-fashioned, often-painful gallstones.
Calculus (plural is calculi): Stones
Cholelithiasis: Condition of having gallstones
Duodenal ulcer: Erosion or ulceration in the lining of the duodenum (first portion of the small intestine)
Gallstones: Hard collections of bile that form in gallbladder and bile ducts
Hepatomegaly: Enlargement of liver
Hepatoma: Tumor of liver
All the twists and turns of both the large and small intestines can make for some interesting and often complicated conditions. The sheer length of these organs makes diagnosis and treatment a long and winding road. Start the journey with these intestinal conditions:
Ascites: Abnormal accumulation of fluid in peritoneal cavity caused by cirrhosis, tumors, and infection
Borborygmus: Rumbling, gurgling sound made by movement of gas in intestine
Cathartic: Strong laxative
Colonic polyposis: Polyps, small growths protruding from mucous membrane of colon
Constipation: Difficult or delayed defecation caused by low peristalsis movement, over-absorption of water as contents sit too long in the intestine, or by dehydration
Diarrhea: Frequent discharge of liquid stool (feces)
Diverticula: Abnormal side pockets in hollow structure, such as intestine, sigmoid colon, and duodenum
Flatus: Gas expelled through the anus
Hemorrhoids: Swollen or twisted veins either outside or just inside the anus
Hernia: A protrusion of an organ or part through the wall of the cavity that contains it
Ileus: Intestinal obstruction that can be caused by failure of peristalsis following surgery, hernia, tumor, adhesions, and often by peritonitis
Inguinal hernia: A small loop of bowel protruding through a weak place in the inguinal ring, an opening in the lower abdominal wall, which allows blood vessels to pass into the scrotum
Intussusception: Telescoping of the intestine; common in children
Laxative: Medication encouraging movement of feces
Melena: Black stool; feces containing blood
Polyposis: Condition of polyps in the intestinal wall
Pruritus ani: Intense itching of the anal area
Steatorrhea: Excessive fat in feces
Volvulus: Twisting of intestine upon itself