A hernia is a protrusion of an organ or structure into an opening or pouch. Abdominal wall hernias protrude through the muscular and fascial walls of the abdomen and have 2 parts: (1) the orifice or defect in the aponeurotic…
Diverticula are outpouchings from tubular structures. True diverticula involve all layers of the intestinal wall, whereas false diverticula are due to herniation of mucosa and submucosa through the muscular wall. Many diverticula contain attenuated portions of the muscular wall of…
Vesiculobullous Skin Diseases The vesiculobullous skin diseases include pemphigoid, pemphigus, epidermolysis bullosa (EB), erythema multiforme (EM), and the Stevens-Johnsons/toxic epidermolysis spectrum. They may have oral and GI manifestations, as discussed later. Pemphigoid Pemphigoid is a general term for heterogeneous blistering…
Lip Disorders The lips are paired structures that are highly visible in the mid face and function to facilitate mastication, speech, and numerous habits. The lips are symmetric from left to right. Separating the cutaneous aspect of the lip from…
Acknowledgment The authors thank Marc D. Feldman, MD, from the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama for his many contributions to this chapter in the 10th edition. An accepted principle of the patient-physician relationship…
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…