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Digestive system
The digestive system turns food into nutrients that are absorbed by the body and removes waste. The mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, rectum and anus are involved.
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Topic: Small intestine
Adhesions
Adhesions may have no signs or symptoms, or they may cause pain by pulling on nerves.
Coeliac disease
Coeliac disease is an intolerance to gluten in food that affects the small intestine.
Crohn's and colitis
When people with inflammatory bowel disease are not experiencing a flare up of their illness, they feel quite well and are often free of symptoms.
Crohn's and colitis - complications
A person with inflammatory bowel disease has to pay close attention to diet, since malnutrition is a real possibility.
Crohn's and colitis - dietary considerations
Certain dietary adjustments can help manage some of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and allow medications to work more effectively.
Gastroenteritis
It is important to establish the cause of gastro, as different types of gastroenteritis respond to different treatments.
Gastroenteritis - amoebiasis
Amoebiasis can cause diarrhoea among travellers to developing countries.
Gastroenteritis - campylobacteriosis
Campylobacteriosis is a type of gastroenteritis and is more common in children under five years of age and young adults
Gastroenteritis - cryptosporidiosis
Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been associated with child care centres, public swimming pools and contaminated water supplies.
Gastroenteritis - giardiasis
Most people infected with Giardia parasites do not develop symptoms but can still spread the infection to others.
Gastroenteritis - salmonellosis
You may be more prone to salmonellosis if you are elderly, have another medical condition (such as a weakened immune system) or are malnourished.
Gastroenteritis - shigella
Outbreaks of shigella gastroenteritis can occur in institutional settings, particularly where children are still in nappies or adults are incontinent.
Gastroenteritis in children
Babies can become ill quickly with gastro - they need extra fluids to replace fluids lost by diarrhoea and vomiting.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome can’t be cured with medications or special diets but avoiding individual triggers can help prevent it.
Rotavirus
Rotavirus is a form of viral gastroenteritis. Rotavirus is a common cause of gastroenteritis for Australian babies and preschool children.
Traveller's diarrhoea
The risk of traveller's diarrhoea is higher where sanitation and hygiene standards are poor.
