Causes, treatment, and when to seek help

Constipation is a situation the place individuals discover it tough or painful to go stools.

In accordance with the Nationwide Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Illnesses (NIDDK), constipation is a typical situation that impacts 16% of individuals in the USA.

Signs

Many individuals with constipation expertise bloating. This is perhaps as a result of arduous and lumpy stools have an effect on intestine motility, and increase bacterial fermentation.

Individuals could experience:

• fewer than three bowel actions every week
• passing stools which can be arduous, dry, or lumpy
• ache or problem when passing stools
• a sense that not all stools have handed

Remedy

Individuals can normally deal with constipation at house. The NIDDK counsel an individual ought to eat meals excessive in fiber and drink loads of liquids. They need to additionally participate in additional bodily exercise.

A physician could advocate somebody prepare their bowels by going to the bathroom on the identical time each day. Docs also can advise taking laxatives if the constipation is extreme and different remedies don’t work.

If individuals discover house cures ineffective, medical doctors could prescribe drugs that soften stools, or refer them for surgical procedure in extreme instances.

In accordance with a 2020 article, IBS is likely one of the most common gastrointestinal situations.

Scientists aren’t certain how individuals develop IBS, however consider that a number of elements, akin to motility, how the physique interacts with the mind and intestine, and misery, play a component.

IBS is more common in females than males, and turns into much less frequent as individuals become older.

There are three various kinds of IBS:

• IBS-D, the place diarrhea accompanies IBC
• IBS-C, the place constipation accompanies IBC
• IBS-M, the place blended bowel patterns accompany IBC

Individuals with IBS within the U.S. are not more likely to have one sort of IBS over one other.

Signs

Frequent signs of IBS include:

• ache or discomfort within the abdomen
• constipation, diarrhea, or each
• bloating and enlargement of the abdomen
• ache which will change location
• a change in stool sample and frequency

Remedy

Remedy for IBS mainly focuses on easing signs. Docs may help relieve ache, bloating, cramping, and an individual’s bowel patterns.

Medical professionals could advocate fiber dietary supplements and laxatives for individuals who have IBS with constipation.

For individuals with diarrhea, a physician could advocate loperamide or probiotics.

An individual who will increase their quantity of bodily exercise may improve their IBS signs.

Docs may additionally prescribe a low dose of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), akin to doxepin, or serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), akin to citalopram, to assist fixed and extreme abdomen signs.

An individual also can avoid sure meals to assist handle IBS. Some individuals discover that slicing out wheat merchandise, fruit and veggies, and dairy containing carbohydrates often called FODMAPs, may enhance their signs.

Learn more about what foods to avoid here.

Inflammatory bowel illness is the place the gastrointestinal tract turns into infected because of the physique’s immune system reacting to microflora within the intestine.

The two situations that an individual might need with IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Individuals with ulcerative colitis expertise an inflammation of the internal lining of the colon and rectum.

Individuals with Crohn’s illness expertise ulcers within the gastrointestinal intestine. Nevertheless, most ulcers seem within the colon and the terminal ileum. That is the a part of the small gut that attaches to the big gut.

Signs

One 2020 article states that signs of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s illness are so related that medical doctors can not initially diagnose one situation over the opposite.

In accordance with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, signs of ulcerative colitis embody:

• lack of urge for food
• weight reduction
• nausea and fever
• fatigue
• anemia
• diarrhea
• bloody stools
• cramps and pains within the stomach

Crohn’s illness has very similar symptoms to ulcerative colitis. Individuals with Crohn’s illness could expertise all or a couple of of the above, together with:

• dehydration
• abscesses
• a fistula, which is an irregular connection of the gut and different organs

Remedy

Docs will intention to assist individuals with IBD go into remission. Because of this their signs both go away or grow to be manageable.

Each ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s illness can have flare-ups, the place signs can worsen.

Docs will prescribe aminosalicylates, akin to mesalamine. Individuals can take this treatment as a suppository, which they insert into the rectum. Alternatively, medical doctors could prescribe oral treatment.

Docs may additionally prescribe corticosteroids if an individual doesn’t reply nicely to mesalamine. Corticosteroids assist reduce irritation. Nevertheless, medical doctors could prescribe immune-modifying brokers, akin to anti-tumor necrosis issue medicine, if corticosteroids are ineffective.

As soon as the preliminary signs are underneath management, medical doctors normally prescribe corticosteroids to cope with any flare-ups.

In severe instances, medical professionals could refer an individual for complete colectomy, a surgical procedure that removes your entire colon.

In accordance with the National Cancer Institute, gastric most cancers is a type of most cancers that impacts the abdomen lining.

Gastric cancer begins within the mucosa layer of the abdomen, the innermost layer, earlier than it spreads via the totally different layers because it grows.

Signs

Early indicators of gastric most cancers are similar to different situations. Signs embody:

Individuals who have a extra superior stage of gastric most cancers could experience:

• blood within the stool
• vomiting and unintended weight reduction
• abdomen ache
• jaundice, which is a yellowing of the eyes and pores and skin
• a build-up of fluid within the abdomen
• hassle swallowing

Docs can diagnose gastric most cancers via a wide range of exams, which embody bodily exams, blood exams, X-rays, and scans. As soon as a physician diagnoses gastric most cancers, in addition they know at what stage the illness is.

Remedy

There are seven commonplace remedies a physician could advocate.

A physician could refer an individual with gastric most cancers for surgical procedure. Throughout this process, a surgeon will attempt to take away the cancerous components of the abdomen. In some instances, they will take away a lot of the tissues and organs close to the most cancers cells to forestall it from spreading.

Alternatively, a physician could refer an individual for an endoscopic mucosal resection. This process removes early-stage most cancers with out the necessity for surgical procedure.

Different remedies contain totally different sorts of remedy. These embody:

• chemotherapy, whereby an individual takes medicine to cease most cancers progress
• radiation therapy, whereby medical professionals assault most cancers with X-rays or different sorts of radiation
• chemoradiation, a mix of chemotherapy and radiation remedy
• goal remedy, whereby an individual takes medicine that assault particular most cancers cells
• immunotherapy, whereby medical professionals increase an individual’s immune system to struggle most cancers

A tough abdomen throughout being pregnant could also be the results of Braxton-Hicks contractions.

In accordance with a 2020 article, these contractions are irregular, and a few individuals could know them as false labor pains. They happen when muscle fibers within the uterus tighten after which calm down.

They’ll begin as early as 6 weeks right into a being pregnant, however most individuals don’t really feel them till the second or third trimester.

The desk under highlights the differences between Braxton-Hicks contractions and labor contractions.

Learn more about how to tell if contractions are real here.

Individuals with Braxton-Hicks contractions can change their place or their exercise degree to assist ease discomfort.

For instance, if an individual is normally sedentary, a stroll could also be useful, whereas a extra bodily energetic individual could profit from sitting down. It may additionally assist to calm down and drink water.

Different causes of a tough abdomen in being pregnant could include fuel and constipation.

It is very important see a physician if somebody with a tough abdomen experiences extra extreme signs. These embody:

• blood within the stool
• vomiting
• unintended weight reduction
• extreme ache within the abdomen

An individual must also see a physician if house remedies for situations don’t ease signs.

A tough abdomen can have many alternative causes.

Individuals could have points which can be easy to deal with, akin to constipation, or they may have a extra critical situation, akin to IBS or IBD.

Whereas an individual can deal with some situations at house, you will need to search medical recommendation if signs grow to be extra critical, or don’t reply to house remedies.