Your Gut! Diseases and Disorders of the Digestive System. The digestive system p

Question

Your Gut! Diseases and Disorders of the Digestive System. The digestive system plays a critical role in how our body takes in and processes food. Organs of the digestive system are usually referred to as “your gut.” It is also the beginning of the process in which our body receives nourishment. Understanding this process can be helpful when communicating with patients or when analyzing charts for assigning the correct medical codes. If you had to explain the point at which the digestive process actually begins and one related disease or disorder, how would you describe it? Be sure to use your medical terms! 300 words please.

Explanation / Answer

The mouth is the begining of the digestive system where salivary glands secrete saliva which contains ptyalin, an enzyme which starts the process of digestion. It primary converts some carbohydrates into simple sugars.The swallowing of food includes mastication which forms bolus(food+saliva), then food through oesophagus (food pipe) passes onto the stomach through a process known as peristalsis. The stomach is a flexible, muscular bag comprising 3 parts viz. the fundus (upper portion), the body (central part), and the pylorus (lower portion). Spinchters present in the stomach prevent the re-entry of food into the oesophagus; Gastric glands of stomach secrete HCl which is acidic in nature and kills bacteria and other germs in the food. The food in the stomach is mixed thoroughly with the gastric juice and forms chyme. The gastric juice also contains enzymes for breaking down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates like pepsin which acts on proteins and converts them to peptones; renin which forms casein, and lipase for spiltting fats. Small intestine acts as the principal organ for digestion. The process of peristalsis forwards the chyme to duodenum of small intestine where the medium is alkaline. The secretions viz. bile, pancreatic juice and the intestinal juice are released into the small intestine. The pancreatic juice contains inactive enzymes. Enterokinase activates trypsinogen into an active trypsin, which in turn activates the other enzymes in the pancreatic juice. The bile released into the duodenum does not have any enzyme but contains bile pigments (bilirubin and bili-verdin), bile salts, cholesterol and phospholipids but no enzymes which emulsifies fats, and activates lipases. Proteins, proteoses and peptones (partially hydrolysed proteins) in the chyme reaching the intestine are acted upon by the proteolytic enzymes of pancreatic juice; Carbohydrates in the chyme are hydrolysed by pancreatic amylase into disaccharides, and Fats are broken down by lipases with the help of bile into di-and monoglycerides. No significant digestive activity occurs in the large intestine but Absorption of water, some minerals and drugs.

Diarrhoea is a disorder which is abnormal frequency of bowel movement and increased
liquidity of the faecal discharge which reduces the absorption of food.

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