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- Information on the causes and treatments of digestive disorders, such as heartburn, GERD (acid reflux), indigestion, sour stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and ulcers.
Digestive disorders encompass a wide array of conditions that affect the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, bile ducts, small intestine, and large intestine (colon).
These conditions vary in severity from the minor annoyance of mild heartburn, sour stomach, constipation or diarrhea, to the more severe GERD (acid reflux), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, to potentially life-threatening illnesses such as a perforated ulcer and cancer.
Approximately 95 million Americans are affected by heartburn, sour stomach, GERD (acid reflux), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease and other gastrointestinal disorders.
Almost 15 million, for example, have been told they have an ulcer, either a duodenal ulcer, or a peptic ulcer. Heartburn affects at least 7% to 10% of U.S. adults every day, and up to 44% at least once a month. In 2001, digestive diseases prompted nearly 50 million visits to doctors, outpatient care facilities, and emergency departments.
Although digestive disorders can affect people of any age, many of these digestive problems occur more frequently in people over age 50.
As Johns Hopkins Digestive Disorders Health Alerts makes clear, our cutting-edge research has produced a deeper understanding of the causes of various digestive disorders, and is leading to better and more targeted treatments for heartburn, GERD and other digestive disorders.
The encouraging news is that lifestyle changes, including dietary changes, increased exercise, weight loss, and stress reduction, and/or appropriate medication, can alleviate—and in many cases completely eliminate—the symptoms associated with many of these digestive disorders.
Digestive Disorders Related Articles:
- Pancreatic Cancer – Serious and Deadly
- Celiac Disease
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Diverticulitis and Diverticulosis
- Flatulence/Gas
- GERD/Acid Reflux
- Heartburn
- Indigestion
- Irritable Bowel
- Lactose Intolerance
- Sour Stomach
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Ulcers:
- Upset Stomach
- Diagnosing Digestive Disorders
- Preventing Digestive Disorders
- Living With Digestive Disorders
- Treating Digestive Disorders
Johns Hopkins Weekly Podcasts: Each podcast is a lively discussion of the week's medical news and how it may affect you. Each ten to twelve-minute free program features Rick Lange, M.D., chief of clinical cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Elizabeth Tracey, director of the Hopkins Health NewsFeed, a radio news service program at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Johns Hopkins Podcast: Weekly Program, and Archive
All the articles in the Digestive Disorders area are derived from our monthly newsletter, Johns Hopkins Health After 50, and our annual Johns Hopkins White Paper: Digestive Disorders and Johns Hopkins White Paper: Colon Cancer.
