What are the Clinical Manifestations of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction?

1. how it connects to Pathophysiology and why is it relevant.

2. Provide a write-up summarizing the article. Within your document, include how the information connects to Pathophysiology, and why it is relevant

 

Gastrointestinal Dysfunction include conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, perianal abscesses, colitis, anal fistulas and hemorrhoids. The Clinical Manifestations of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction are;

• Pain in the belly
• Bloating
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Heartburn
• Bleeding
• Nausea and vomiting

Functional gastrointestinal (FGID) disorders such as functional dyspepsia (FD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are characterized by persistent or recurring abdominal pain symptoms and in the case of IBS, are associated with either defecation relief or exacerbation or altered bowel habits. FGID research has been aimed at investigating the underlying disease mechanisms for decades, focusing on alterations in GI motility and visceral sensory function. However, despite the fact that changes in both motor and sensory functions are likely to be important to the presentation of symptoms in some patients, they may simply be indicators for underlying abnormalities in most patients. There is little emphasis on patient care, though many exciting therapeutic approaches have been tried. Ultimately, most novel treatments have failed since the gain over placebo was negligible and/or confined to very small subgroups. A variety of mechanisms have been investigated in recent years. These include gut-brain axis disorders, dietary effects, genetic causes, intestinal microbiota infections and disturbances, low-grade mucosal inflammation, immune activation, altered intestinal permeability, disordered metabolism of bile salt, or 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism abnormalities.

Traditionally, more or less specific symptoms and the absence of structural or biochemical abnormalities causing these symptoms are characterized by functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), including functional dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This definition is now known to be outdated; structural or biochemical anomalies that clarify or cause the symptoms can be identified in many patients if sufficient tests are applied. The most common psychological comorbidities, such as depression and anxiety, are another characteristic of FGID. Mood disorders "cause" gastrointestinal symptoms, it is inferred. Epidemiological data now provide clear evidence that gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms arise first in subsets of cases, and mood disorders occur later, while the opposite tends to occur in other patients. Possible mechanisms have been identified for gut-brain dysfunction, with at least some subjects having systemic minimal inflammation as a causal factor. Other mechanisms that play a role in FGID include chronic infections, intestinal microbiota, low-grade inflammation of the mucosa including eosinophil increases, systemic immune activation, altered intestinal permeability, altered bile salt metabolism in diarrhea primarily IBS, serotonin metabolism abnormalities, and genetic factors. Ecological factors such as diet, may modulate all these variables. Although a variety of causes can be correlated with particular symptoms (e.g. pain or diarrhea), it is clear that the categorization of patients based on symptoms would not permit targeted treatments that specifically address the underlying pathophysiology.