Glossary: Digestive Disorders
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Glossary
aerophagia: Excessive swallowing of air.
alimentary canal: Another term for the gastrointestinal tract or the digestive tract.
bile: Fluid secreted by the liver that helps break down fats in the small intestine.
chyme: A nearly liquid mass of partly digested food and secretions in the stomach and intestine.
colonoscopy: Examination of the interior of the colon using a flexible viewing instrument.
diverticula: Finger-shaped pouches protruding off the colon that often develop with age.
diverticulitis: When diverticula become inflamed.
duodenitis: Inflammation of the duodenum.
duodenum: The first part of the small intestine, extending from the stomach to the jejunum.
dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing.
endoscopy: A diagnostic test that allows a physician to view the upper gastrointestinal tract via a flexible tube inserted down the patient's throat.
fecal impaction: An accumulation of hardened stool in the intestine and rectum that makes evacuation impossible.
functional gastrointestinal disorders: Gut ailments whose symptoms cannot be linked to any infection or structural abnormality.
gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach.
ileum: The section of the small intestine between the jejunum and the beginning of the large intestine.
jejunum: The section of the small intestine between the duodenum and the ileum.
lactose intolerance: The inability of the body to break down lactose; results in gastrointestinal distress.
motility: The ability of the digestive tract to propel its contents.
pepsin: A name for several enzymes secreted by the stomach to break down protein.
peptic ulcer: A raw, crater-like break in the mucosal lining of the stomach or duodenum.
peristalsis: Wavelike movement of intestinal muscles that propels food along the digestive tract.
peritonitis: Inflammation of the membrane lining the abdominal cavity.
sigmoidoscopy: Internal examination of the rectum and sigmoid colon by means of a flexible viewing tube inserted through the anus.
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| Last updated: | August 21, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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