Anatomy Digestive System Essay Sample
The main aim of the assignment is to examine one common disorder of the digestive system, and the disorder for this project is peptic ulcer disease.Anatomy Digestive System Essay Sample
Giving a description of peptic ulcer disease, we need to say that it is a chronic relapsing disease, the main feature of it is the formation of specific defects (ulcers) in the wall of the stomach or in the duodenum. Of course, duodenal ulcers are much more common than gastric ulcers. The prevalence of duodenal ulcer localization is most characteristic of the young and especially for men. The most susceptible to ulcers are people whose work is connected with the mental stress, especially when it is combined with irregular meals (for example, drivers of vehicles).Anatomy Digestive System Essay Sample
In the occurrence of the disease, many factors play a role, including violations of the regime and diet (for example, the systematic use of spicy and roughage food, hasty meal and food with no drink, long breaks between meals, etc.), smoking, alcohol abuse, strong coffee, hard psycho-emotional situations (insufficient rest and sleep, long working hours, stress), physical stress. An important place is given to the constitutional and hereditary factors. Moreover, a long-term use of drugs which are adverse to the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum (glucocorticoids, reserpine, acetylsalicylic acid, caffeine, etc.) may provoke the development of peptic ulcer disease (Thompson, 1996). It is believed that an important role in the development and appearance of peptic ulcer disease and relapsing course plays Helicobacter pylori, which parasitizes in the mucous membrane of the stomach and increases its sensitivity to the effects of hydrochloric acid gastric juice.
The main symptom of peptic ulcer is pain that occurs more often in the epigastric area to the left of the midline (ulcers of the stomach body) or to the right of it (for ulcers in the pyloric canal and duodenal bulb), often radiating to the left side of the chest, the area xiphisternum sternum, thoracic or lumbar parts of spinal cord. Pain is usually clearly associated with eating. Thus, when the body of stomach has ulcers different kinds of pain appear usually within 30 – 60 min after meal (early pain), but when the speech is going about pyloric channel ulcer and duodenal ulcers pain appears in 2 -3 hours (late pain), and fasting pain (“hunger pain”) (Brett and Carson, 2007). To add, a typical symptom of peptic ulcer is vomiting full of stomach acid that occurs at an altitude of pain and which brings relief, in connection with this fact some patients sometimes cause vomiting artificially. Often, there are other dyspeptic disorders (heartburn, nausea, belching, constipation, etc.).Anatomy Digestive System Essay Sample
Diagnosis is based on data from medical history, clinical presentation, results of the examination, laboratory and instrumental investigations. Collecting clinical findings, doctors may pay attention to previous illnesses (such as gastritis, duodenitis), neuro-emotional stress, including those related to professional activities, eating disorders, smoking, alcohol abuse, seasonality of exacerbations, and heredity. Evaluating patients’ complaints, the greatest importance should be attached to the characteristic frequency and rhythm of pain. On palpation of the abdomen during an exacerbation is often possible to identify a local pain in the epigastric region, often in combination with a moderate resistance of muscles of the anterior abdominal wall. One of the main methods of diagnosis of peptic ulcer and its complications is an X-ray examination. X-ray diagnosis of the disease is mainly based on the identification of direct radiographic signs – niche and scar-ulcer deformation of the affected stomach wall or duodenum.
Observing the treatment, patients with uncomplicated peptic ulcer disease in most cases are prescribed to follow conservative treatment. When disease is worsening then patients admitted to gastroenterology or general therapeutic department. In the hospital they are provided with medical and protective regime with a maximum limit of physical and emotional stress. Nutrition should be a fractional (5 – 6 times a day), food – mechanically and chemically gentle. Most patients in the period of exacerbation, and in the process of further treatment should follow special diet. They need to exclude from the diet fried foods, raw vegetables and fruits containing a crude vegetable fiber (cabbage, pears, peaches, etc.), pickles, salted and smoked foods, strong broth, spices, carbonated drinks, coffee and cocoa. The food should contain a sufficient amount of protein and vitamins, while the use of medicines depends on the state of the patient, his symptoms and a type of disease.Anatomy Digestive System Essay Sample
Prevention of the disease is aimed at addressing the possible etiological factors of ulcer formation: smoking and alcohol consumption, the organization of work and rest, proper nutrition. Patients with peptic ulcer disease should be under medical supervision. Relapsing treatment should be comprehensive, long-term (courses lasting 1,5 – 2 months for at least 5 years since the last exacerbation).
Thus, taking everything into consideration, it is possible to conclude that we have examined peptic ulcer disease as one of the disorders of digestive system, and also proved that stress can greatly influence on the state of human health, including appearance of ulcers in the stomach.Anatomy Digestive System Essay Sample