Introduction Inflammatory disorders of the esophagus are extremely common. Among the most common is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic condition, affecting as many as 40% of people in the Western world. Because of the ease and frequent use of…
Introduction The conventional approach to teaching about inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is to describe the clinical and histological features of individual disease entities. Unfortunately, rendering a specific diagnosis is not always possible when evaluating mucosal biopsies of…
Introduction Given the plethora of drugs available by prescription and over the counter, and that most are administered orally, it is not surprising that many drugs can cause gastrointestinal (GI) disease. The injury caused by drugs can be due to…
Introduction The gastrointestinal (GI) tract performs energy-demanding functions of digestion and absorption of nutrients while maintaining a critical barrier between the internal milieu and the external (luminal) environment. It also contributes to the activities of the immune system. These functions…
Introduction and General Remarks The aims of this chapter are to review the pathological features of the major intestinal disorders of infancy and early childhood, with an emphasis on congenital disorders resulting in chronic diarrhea and malabsorption, and to illustrate…
Molecular Mechanisms of Gastrointestinal Development Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular controls of gut development have flowed from studies of a number of vertebrate and invertebrate models, including Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm), sea urchins, Drosophila, zebrafish, and the mouse.…
Introduction Normal bowel motility depends on smooth muscle, interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), the intrinsic and extrinsic nerve supply and their supporting cells, and various neuroendocrine peptides. Abnormalities in any one or more of these components may result in bowel…
Introduction Systemic illnesses commonly affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. GI symptoms and morphological changes can result from several different pathogenetic mechanisms, such as nonspecific or constitutional symptoms, pathological changes common to intestinal and extraintestinal organs, secondary changes such as opportunistic…
Introduction The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a rich lymphoid organ by virtue of the fact that there are numerous immune cells in the lamina propria as well as abundant lymphoid follicles and Peyer’s patches distributed throughout, which is collectively referred…
Primary Immunodeficiencies Many of the primary immunodeficiencies ( Table 5.1 ) are associated with gastrointestinal (GI) lesions. Manifestations of immune deficiency in the GI tract may be broadly divided into three categories : increased susceptibility to infection, idiopathic chronic inflammatory…