This chapter presents an overview of how psychosocial factors are related to GI function, disease susceptibility, clinical illness, and outcomes and provides an integrated approach to the care of the patient with GI illness. Conceptualization of Gastrointestinal Illness Biomedical Model…
Jaundice (also termed icterus ) is a distinctive and often striking yellow discoloration of the skin, conjunctivae, and mucous membranes that results from widespread tissue deposition of the compound bilirubin. Although jaundice is commonly viewed as a sign of liver…
The annual rate of hospitalization for any type of GI hemorrhage in the US is estimated to be 350 hospital admissions/100,000 population, with more than 1,000,000 hospitalizations each year. Approximately 50% of admissions for GI bleeding are for UGI bleeding…
Constipation is a term used to describe a person’s perception of altered bowel movements that includes hard stools, difficulty with defecation, and a sensation of incomplete evacuation, among others. Chronic constipation is diagnosed when a person describes symptoms of constipation…
Acknowledgment The author is most grateful for the excellent secretarial assistance of Ms. Helen Smith and Dr. Yun Yan. This work was supported in part by Grant U-34; U-01 and R-21from the National Institutes of Health. Fecal incontinence is defined…
Although many patients encountered in clinical practice complain about intestinal gas, systematic investigation of this subject did not begin until the 1960s, when studies by Michael Levitt, MD, and colleagues began to shed light on the pathophysiology of intestinal gas.…
Diarrhea is a universal human experience. In an average month, 7.5% of Americans have symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. For most persons, episodes of diarrhea last a day or 2 and rapidly subside without medical intervention. For others, diarrhea lasts for…
Acknowledgment The authors acknowledge the contributions of Drs. Juan-R. Malagelada and Carolina Malagelada to this chapter in previous editions of the book. Nausea is an unpleasant subjective sensation of impending vomiting and can be associated with salivation, anorexia, perspiration, disinterest…
Definition Dyspepsia is derived from the Greek words “δυς-” (dys-) and “πέψη” (pepse) and literally means “difficult digestion.” In current medical terminology, dyspepsia refers to a heterogeneous group of symptoms in the upper abdomen. In the literature, dyspepsia is often…
Common symptoms that affect the esophagus include dysphagia, odynophagia, globus sensation, hiccups, chest pain, heartburn, regurgitation, and a number of “supraesophageal” complaints that have been attributed to gastroesophageal reflux. A carefully taken history can clarify many of these symptoms and…