Stomach cancer is a disease that is much more common worldwide than it is within the United States, although the disease will still affect around 21,700 Americans on an annual basis and will be the cause of around 11,200 deaths a year in the USA. Also known as gastric cancer, stomach cancer is a disease that generally speaking tends to affect older people – approximately two thirds of people with stomach cancer are aged 65 years of age or older, and the average age at the time that stomach cancer is diagnosed is 71.

There is a risk of about 1 in 100 of developing stomach cancer in a person’s lifetime and although the disease affects people of both sexes the risk is slightly higher in men than it is in women

Causes of Stomach Cancer

The cause of this type of cancer is not known and is the subject of ongoing research.

Having said that, there are a number of risk factors for stomach cancer that are known to make a person more likely to get the disease, including the following:

Helicobacter pylori infection – it is thought that infection with Helicobacter pylori (which is a type of bacteria) is a cause of stomach cancer, in particular cancers which are in the lower part of the stomach.

Diet – a diet that includes large amounts of smoked foods, salted fish or meats, foods that are high in starch and low in fiber, pickled vegetables, and also foods and beverages that contain nitrates and nitrites can increase the risk of stomach cancer.

Tobacco use - the incidence of stomach cancer amongst smokers is around twice that of people who do not smoke

Age and Sex – Stomach cancer is more common amongst men than it is amongst women, and the majority of people diagnosed with stomach cancer are in their 60s or older

Other risk factors include having type A blood, having undergone previous stomach surgery, having a family history of stomach cancer, and being exposed to workplace environmental factors such as dust and fumes.

Symptoms of Stomach Cancer

One of the reasons why it is so difficult to detect stomach cancer early is because it is rare for stomach cancer to cause symptoms in the early stages.

Someone with stomach cancer may have the following symptoms: a burning sensation that may be indigestion, or heartburn; discomfort or a pain in the abdomen, bloating after eating, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting with or without blood. It is important to note that most of these symptoms are far more likely to occur with non-cancerous conditions than they are to be evidence of stomach cancer.

Your doctor will want to examine you if you suspect that you have any of the above symptoms and no other medical condition can be determined. A physical examination, and a medical history will be taken from you on your first visit. Diagnostic tests will be ordered to help rule out other diseases or conditions and to confirm the presence of stomach cancer.

Tests for Stomach Cancer

There are a number of different tests for stomach cancer including the following.

Upper Endoscopy. This is the main test used to diagnose stomach cancer and is a procedure where the doctor can examine the inside of your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum by placing a thin lighted tube, called an endoscope, down your throat. A sample tissue may be taken to be sent for biopsy.

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) series. This is an x-ray test that looks at the esophagus, stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This is the test that requires you to drink a solution that contains barium.

Fecal occult blood test, which is when you place a small stool sample on a special card. The sample is tested in the doctor’s office or may be sent to a laboratory for testing.

Another test is the endoscopic ultrasound, which is an imaging technique where sound waves are used to create a computer image for the doctor to look at your esophagus and stomach . For this procedure a small transducer is placed on the tip of an endoscope which goes down the throat and is guided into the stomach.

Stomach Cancer Treatment

Treatment for stomach cancer if you have it may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and also surgery to remove any cancerous tissue. A gastrectomy may be done to remove part of the stomach.

The treatment an individual patient receives will depend on many factors, including the location and stage of the tumor, the patient’s age, general state of health, and personal preferences.

Related posts:

1. Colorectal Cancer Symptoms
2. Lactose Intolerance
3. Stomach Ulcers

The inflammation of the liver that results in cell damage is known as Hepatitis. There can be acute hepatitis or chronic hepatitis and to date there are six main types of the hepatitis virus that have been identified.

The six main types of hepatitis virus are: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, Hepatitis E, and Hepatitis G.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is the type that is spread by fecal-oral contact or fecal-infected food and water, or it may also in rare cases be spread by blood-borne infection.

Hepatitis A can be contracted when you consume food that somebody touched who had infected feces on their hands when they touched the food. You can get the hepatitis A virus by drinking water that is contaminated with infected feces. You can also get it by touching an infected person’s feces.

You may encounter large outbreaks of Hepatitis A in large childcare centers, when children are in diapers and caregivers do not wash their hands between diaper changes and there are children present with the disease.

You can also contract Hepatitis from sexual contact with a person who has the disease.

There is now a vaccine for Hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B

This hepatitis can be mild and present no symptoms, or it can be chronic, and in some cases even result in liver failure and death. You can contract the hepatitis B virus by way of blood and body fluid exposure such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions, or by saliva. An infant can also contract the disease when born to a woman who has the disease. A child who has hepatitis B can infect other children easily through the sharing of saliva, and also by direct contact through cuts and scrapes.

People who are at high risk for contracting Hepatitis B are those who are:

• Born to mothers with hepatitis B
• Born to mothers who have come from a country where hepatitis B is widespread (Asia, China).
• Living in long-term facilities and who are disabled
• Living in the same household as someone who has hepatitis B.
• Hemophilia patients
• Receiving dialysis for kidney failure
• Using IV drugs or have unprotected heterosexual or homosexual sexual contact
• In contact with blood products as part of their occupation

A vaccine for hepatitis is now in use as part of routine childhood immunization.

Hepatitis C

This virus shows mild if any symptoms and according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis C is the leading cause for liver transplantation. At the present time no mode of transmission for hepatitis C has been identified. It is known that individuals that have alcoholic liver disease often get hepatitis C.

Other individuals at risk for hepatitis C include:

• Babies born to moms who have the disease
• People with blood clotting disorders such as hemophilia that received clotting factors prior to 1987
• People who receive dialysis for kidney failure
• Those individuals who received blood transfusions prior to 1992.
• People who participate in high-risk activities such as IV drug usage, and unprotected sex with heterosexual or homosexual partners

There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C.

Hepatitis D

You can only get hepatitis D if you have hepatitis B.

Hepatitis E

Is similar to hepatitis A but is less common than hepatitis A. It is seen in poorly developed countries.

Hepatitis G

This is the newest strain of hepatitis and is thought to occur through blood transmission. It is common in IV drug users, those with clotting disorders, and those who require hemodialysis for renal failure. There are usually no clinical symptoms of hepatitis G.

Related posts:

1. Liver Disease

There are several inflammatory bowel diseases all of which need to be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. Two of the more common inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Ulcerative colitis is where the lining of the large intestine (that is the bowel and the colon) and the rectum become inflamed. The inflammation typically begins in the rectum and the lower intestine (sigmoid) and then spreads upwards to the rest of the colon.

People with ulcerative colitis can experience different symptoms including abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, anemia which is caused by the rectal bleeding, fatigue, loss of body fluids and nutrients, weight loss, and also loss of appetite. Common symptoms include diarrhea and a frequent need to empty the colon. Ulcers (open sores) form that cause pus, mucus and bleeding.

The disease can run in families and usually affects individuals of either sex between the ages of 15 and 40. Ulcerative colitis requires long-term care and there may be remissions (periods of no symptoms). Remissions can last for months or even years. However as this is a long term disease the symptoms do return . The disease is rarely fatal and in those cases where fatality occurs it is due to complications. The risk for individuals with ulcerative colitis to get colon cancer is no higher than anyone else.

People with ulcerative colitis may also experience anemia, inflammation of the eyes, liver disorders, osteoporosis, joint pain, skin lesions, rashes and kidney stones.

Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that involves the small intestine. Inflammation may involve the entire digestive tract, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, appendix, duodenum and also the anus. You may also hear Crohn’s disease referred to as ileitis or enteritis. Crohn’s disease runs in families, and occurs in both males and females.

The symptoms are abdominal pain, usually in the lower right area of the abdomen, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and fever and weight loss.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome is an intestinal disorder that some people have misconceptions about and incorrectly refer to the disease by other names such as colitis, mucous colitis, spastic colon, spastic bowel or functional bowel disease. IBS is a functional disorder.

A person affected with IBS may experience cramps, gas, bloating, and also changes in their normal bowel habits. Stress may worsen IBS but it does not cause it.

IBS does not cause permanent harm to the intestines; it does not lead to intestinal bleeding of the bowel and does not lead to any serious disease such as cancer. There is also no link at all between IBS and Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Somebody who has IBS has a more sensitive colon than the average person. It does not take much for the colon to spasm when the person has IBS. Women who have IBS tend to have more symptoms during their period, which may mean that the reproductive hormones have something to do with increased IBS symptoms.

Related posts:

1. Digestive System Diseases and Disorders
2. Hemorrhoids And Bowel Disorders
3. What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

There are a number of organs in the digestive system including the liver, pancreas,and digestive tract (in other words the esophagus, stomach and intestines) that have a role to play in the digestive process, and the functioning of the digestive system can be affected by many different conditions disorders and diseases.

Common conditions like indigestion can make you feel uncomfortable but you can usually get better with little or no treatment. On the other hand there are diseases that can affect parts of the digestive system which can have a long lasting impact on the functioning of the system. An example of this kind of disease is inflammatory bowel disease, also known simply as IBD. If a person has IBD, a specialist called a gastroenterologist is called upon to help them deal with the disease.

There are three common conditions that individual can have that affect the esophagus: Tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia are congenital conditions. These conditions are usually detected soon after birth and both require surgery in order for the digestive systems to work in babies with these conditions.

Esophagitis is an inflammation of the esophagus and is a noncongenital condition. Those people who suffer from esophagitis usually have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which causes the esophagitis. GERD can sometimes be healed with lifestyle changes such as by making changes in food selection but usuallythe patient needs medication to bring relief. Sometimes taking a certain medication or an infection can cause esophagitis.

Most people at one time or another experience diarrhea and constipation. One not so common stomach and intestinal disorder is Celiac disease, which is caused by an abnormal response that the immune system has to a protein called gluten found in certain foods that we eat. When people with Celiac disease eat foods that contain gluten, damage can be done to the lining of the intestines. Symptoms that they may experience include abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea.

Gastritis a condition in which the lining of the stomach becomes irritated or inflamed and peptic ulcers (sores or holes) form in the lining of the stomach or duodenum causing pain and/or bleeding. Both of these conditions can be relieved with medication.

A chronic inflammation of the intestines that affects older kids, teens, and adults is an inflammation of the intestines. There are two types of IBD – ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Both types are treated with medication, and if needed surgery to remove inflamed or damaged parts of the intestine.

Most people have heard of Cystic fibrosis, a chronic, inherited disease in which production of thick mucus blocks the ducts in the pancreas. This blockage prevents digestive juices from entering into the intestines. Without these juices it is difficult to break down and digest fats and proteins. When these ingredients are not digested the body can’t use them and they pass through the body without being used.

Liver damage is a possibility when people contract hepatitis, which is a viral infection of the liver.

Cholecystitis is when the gallbladder becomes inflamed and gallstones can develop. Teens can get cholecystitis particularly if they have sickle cell anemia or if they have been treated with certain long-term medications.

Related posts:

1. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases