Bowel movements, abnormal Health Dictionary

(IBS) This is a common and generally benign condition of the colon, taking different forms but usually characterized by alternating constipation and diarrhea. There is often some pain accompanying the diarrhea phase. The bowel equivalent of spasmodic asthma, its main cause is stress, often accompanied by a history of GI infections. Adrenalin stress slows the colon and causes constipation, followed by a cholinergic rebound overstimulation of the colon. It is also called spastic colon, colon syndrome, mucous colitis, even chronic colitis. True colitis is a potentially or actually serious pathology.... irritable bowel syndrome

A disorder of the intestinal tract that affects its motility and causes abdominal distension and irregular defaecation. Traditional, but now discarded, names have been spastic or irritable colon. The disease affects around 20 per cent of the general population but in most it is no more than a minor nuisance. The causes are not fully understood, but it is generally believed that symptoms develop in response to psychological factors, changed gastrointestinal motility, or altered visceral sensation. About 50 per cent of patients meet criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis. Anxiety, depression, neurosis, panic attacks, acute disease are among possible triggering factors. Some patients have diarrhoea, others are constipated, and some alternate between the two. Many have increased sensitivity to distension of the intestine. Dietary factors such as intolerance to dairy products and wheat are apparent in certain patients.

Common features of IBS include:

abdominal distension.

altered bowel habit.

colicky lower abdominal pain, eased by defaecation.

mucous discharge from rectum.

feelings of incomplete defaecation.

Investigations usually produce normal results. Positive diagnosis in people under 40 is usually straightforward. In older patients, however, barium ENEMA, X-rays and COLONOSCOPY should be done to exclude colorectal cancer.

Reassurance is the initial and often e?ective treatment. If this fails, treatment should be directed at the major symptoms. Several months of the antidepressant amitriptyline (see ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS) may bene?t patients with intractable symptoms, given at a dose lower than that used to treat depression. The majority of patients follow a relapsing/remitting course, with episodes provoked by stressful events in their daily lives. (See also INTESTINE, DISEASES OF.)... irritable bowel syndrome (ibs)

A common name for the large and/or small intestines.... bowel

A collective term for chronic disorders affecting the small and/or large intestine that cause abdominal pain, bleeding, and diarrhoea. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common types of inflammatory bowel disease.... inflammatory bowel disease

A structure or process that is not normal (typical, usual or conforming to the standard); di?ering from the usual condition of the body.... abnormal

CROHN’S DISEASE and ULCERATIVE COLITIS are chronic in?ammatory diseases characterised by relapsing and remitting episodes over many years. The diseases are similar and are both classi?ed as IBD, but a signi?cant distinction is that Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT from mouth to anus, whereas ulcerative colitis affects only the COLON. The incidence of IBD varies widely between countries, being rare in the developing world but much more common in westernised nations, where the incidence of Crohn’s disease is around 5–7 per 100,000 (and rising) and that of ulcerative colitis at a broadly stable 10 per 100,000. It is common for both disorders to develop in young adults, but there is a second spike of incidence in people in their 70s. Details about the two disorders are given under the individual entries elsewhere in the dictionary. In?ammatory bowel disease should not be confused with IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) which has some of the same symptoms of IBD but a di?erent cause and outcome.... inflammatory bowel disease (ibd)

Before the advent of small-bowel transplants, long-term intravenous feeding (total parenteral nutrition or TPN) was the last option for patients with chronic intestinal failure. Most recipients are children, and small-bowel transplantation is currently reserved for patients unable to continue on long-term parenteral nutrition. The main constraints to small-bowel transplantation are the intensity of rejection (necessitating high levels of immunosuppression), and the lack of donors who are the same size as the recipient (a particular problem for children).... small-bowel transplantantion

A form of arthritis running concurrently with a bowel disorder arising from intestinal irritation. Acute Crohn’s disease or colitis may be related. Joint stiffness and inflammation subside on disappearance of the bowel condition.

Chronic bowel conditions are frequently responsible for heavy drainage of vitamins and minerals via excessive stool. Calcium may be pillaged from the bones to make up blood calcium levels which, if prolonged, may lead to rigid spine.

Treatment. Treatment of arthritis would be secondary, the primary object being to normalise the bowel. Alternatives:–

Teas or decoctions. Comfrey leaves, Calamus, Chamomile, Avens, Agrimony, Marshmallow root, Meadowsweet, Slippery Elm bark, Wild Yam.

Tea. Formula. Equal parts: Agrimony, Balm, Chamomile. 1 heaped teaspoon to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes; 1 cup freely.

Fenugreek seeds. Decoction. 1 cup freely.

Tablets/capsules. Calamus, Fenugreek, Goldenseal, Wild Yam.

Formula. Fenugreek 2; Wild Yam 1; Goldenseal quarter; Ginger quarter. Mix. Dose: Powders: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon). Liquid extracts: 1 teaspoon. Tinctures: 2 teaspoons.

Bamboo powder. Two 320mg capsules thrice daily. (Dr Max Rombi)

Biostrath Willow Formula.

Diet. Slippery Elm food. Vitamin B12. Low fat. Cider vinegar.

Supportive: high enemas. Natural lifestyle. Outlook good. ... arthritis – bowel related

See: COLORECTAL CANCER. ... cancer – bowel

A physical deformity or malformation, a behavioural or mental problem, or a variation from normal in the structure or function of a cell, tissue, or organ in the body.... abnormality

Sounds made by the passage of air and fluid through the intestine. Absent or abnormal bowel sounds may indicate a disorder. Those that are audible without a stethoscope are known as borborygmi and are a normal part of the digestive process, but they may be exaggerated by anxiety and some disorders of the intestine.... bowel sounds

Frequent urging to stool due to nervous irritability or emotional distress.

Indicated: astringents, nerve relaxants.

Teas. Hops, Vervain, Chamomile, Cranesbill.

Tablets/capsules. Chamomile, Calamus, Wild Yam, Fenugreek.

Formula. Bayberry 2; Wild Yam 1; Valerian half. Dose: Liquid extracts: 1-2 teaspoons. Tinctures: 2-3 teaspoons. Powders: 750mg (three 00 capsules or half a teaspoon). Thrice daily.

Tincture. Black Catechu BHP (1983). 1:5 in 45 per cent alcohol. Dose 2.5 to 5ml in water, thrice daily. Fenulin. (Gerard House)

Diet. Slippery Elm gruel.

Supplements. Vitamins A, B6, C, Calcium, Dolomite. ... nervous bowel syndrome

Variations from normal in the number or structure of chromosomes contained in a person’s cells. The cause is generally a fault in the process of chromosome division, either during the formation of an egg or sperm, or during the first few divisions of a fertilized egg. Chromosomal abnormalities are classified according to whether they involve the 44 autosomes or the 2 X and Y sex chromosomes. A complete extra set of chromosomes per cell is called polyploidy and is lethal.

Autosomal abnormalities cause physical and mental defects of varying severity. Some types of autosomal abnormality, known as trisomy, consist of an extra chromosome on 1 of the 22 pairs of autosomes. The most common trisomy is Down’s syndrome. Sometimes, part of a chromosome is missing, as in cri du chat syndrome. In translocation, a part of a chromosome is joined to another, causing no ill effects in the person but a risk of abnormality in his or her children.

Sex chromosome abnormalities include Turner’s syndrome, in which a girl is born with a single X chromosome in her

cells instead of 2, causing physical abnormalities, defective sexual development, and infertility. A boy with 1 or more extra X chromosomes has Klinefelter’s syndrome, which causes defective sexual development and infertility. The presence of an extra X chromosome in women or an extra Y chromosome in men normally has no physical effect but increases the risk of mild mental handicap.

Chromosomal abnormalities are diagnosed by chromosome analysis in early pregnancy, using amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.... chromosomal abnormalities

Faeces that differ from normal in colour, odour, consistency, or content. Abnormal faeces may indicate a disorder of the digestive system or related organ, such as the liver, but a change in the character of faeces is most often due to a change in diet.

Diarrhoea may be due simply to anxiety or may be caused by an intestinal infection (see gastroenteritis); by an intestinal disorder such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease; or by irritable bowel syndrome. Loose stools may indicate malabsorption. Constipation is generally harmless but, if it develops unexpectedly, may be caused by a large-intestine disorder such as colon cancer.

Pale faeces may be caused by diarrhoea, a lack of bile in the intestine as a result of bile duct obstruction, or a disease that causes malabsorption (such as coeliac disease). Such faeces may be oily, foul-smelling, and difficult to flush away. Dark faeces may result from taking iron tablets. However, if faeces are black, there may be bleeding in the upper digestive tract.

Faeces containing excessive mucus are sometimes associated with constipation or irritable bowel syndrome. Enteritis, dysentery, or a tumour of the intestine (see intestine, tumours of) may result in excess mucus, which is often accompanied by blood.

Blood in the faeces differs in appearance depending on the site of bleeding. Bleeding from the stomach or duodenum is usually passed in the form of black, tarry faeces. Blood from the colon is red and is usually passed at the same time as the faeces. Bleeding from the rectum or anus, which may be due to tumours or to haemorrhoids, is usually bright red. (See also rectal bleeding.)... faeces, abnormal

Uncontrolled movements of the body. These movements occur spontaneously and may be slow and writhing (see athetosis); rapid, jerky, and random (see chorea); or predictable, stereotyped, and affecting 1 part of the body, usually the face (see tic). They may be a feature of a disease (for example, Huntington’s disease) or a side effect of certain drugs used to treat psychiatric conditions.... involuntary movements

intestinal failure that occurs when the small bowel is shortened by surgery or trauma, resulting in reduced absorption of nutrients. Some bowel adaptation does occur, but if under 200 cm of small bowel remain it is likely patients will need long-term *total parenteral nutrition.... short bowel syndrome

(enteroclysis) a radiological technique for examining the jejunum and ileum by passing a tube through the nose, oesophagus, and stomach into the small bowel and directly injecting *barium sulphate. Images are captured in real time as the contrast moves through the small bowel. It produces highly detailed images of the small bowel, making it particularly useful for investigating coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease, as well as strictures, tumours, and obstructions. It can be combined with X-ray imaging, CT, or MRI.... small-bowel enema

(barium follow-through) a technique for examining the small bowel, often used when small-bowel enema is not tolerated. The patient swallows dilute *barium sulphate suspension and then a series of abdominal radiographs are taken. A complete examination occurs when contrast reaches the first part of the large bowel (caecum). This technique is particularly useful for investigating small-bowel *Crohn’s disease.... small-bowel meal

Dulled, unpleasant, or otherwise altered sensations in the absence of an obvious stimulus.

Numbness and pins-and-needles are common abnormal sensations. The special senses can be impaired by damage to the relevant sensory apparatus (see vision, disorders of; smell; deafness; tinnitus). Other causes of abnormal sensation include peripheral nerve damage caused by diabetes mellitus, herpes zoster infection, or pressure from a tumour, and disruption of nerve pathways in the brain or spinal cord due to spinal injury, head injury, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

Pressure on or damage to nerves can sometimes be relieved by surgery or by treatments for the cause.

In other cases, distressing abnormal sensation can be relieved only by cutting the relevant nerve fibres or by giving injections to block the transmission of signals.... sensation, abnormal

Urine may be produced in abnormal amounts or have an abnormal appearance or composition.

Conditions of abnormal production of urine include excessive production (see urination, excessive), oliguria, and anuria. Abnormal appearances of urine include cloudiness (which may be caused by a urinary tract infection, a calculus, or the presence of salts); haematuria; discoloration from certain foods or drugs; and frothiness (which may be caused by an excess of protein).Abnormal composition of the urine may occur in diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, and sometimes glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome, as well as in other kidney disorders such as Fanconi’s syndrome and renal tubular acidosis.... urine, abnormal