Conditions

Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disease of the digestive tract. Your body’s immune system should protect your body from sicknesses. But in Crohn’s disease, your immune system attacks the digestive tract by mistake.

Diverticulosis [dahy-ver-tik-yuh-LOH-sis] is a condition that impacts about half of people over age 60. It causes small pouches (diverticula) to bulge out through weak spots on the digestive tract — most often on the colon (large intestine). They can also form on the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine.

Eosinophilic [ee-uh-sin-uh-FIL-ik] esophagitis [ih-SOF-uh-JAHY-tis], or EE, is an allergic reaction that causes inflammation (swelling) in the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube going from your mouth to your stomach. The inflammation can make the esophagus become more narrow and stiff. This can make swallowing difficult and cause food to get caught in your esophagus.

Gluten intolerance is a disorder similar to celiac disease that makes it difficult to eat gluten, a protein found in rye, wheat, and barley. The treatment for gluten intolerance is a gluten-free diet, which can make your symptoms better.

Hepatitis is a disease that irritates the liver and causes it to swell.

A hiatal hernia is a condition in which the top of the stomach bulges through an opening in the diaphragm called the hiatus. The diaphragm is the large muscle that helps you breathe. The diaphragm separates the stomach from the chest. A hiatal hernia moves up into the chest and can cause pain and other symptoms.

Normally, a healthy colon keeps its contents moving through it with a regular rhythm. With IBS, the rhythm of your colon speeds up, causing diarrhea, or slows down, causing constipation.

The liver is the largest organ in your body. It performs many important functions, but can be damaged by many different conditions, such as hepatitis, hemochromatosis, and fatty liver disease.

Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas is irritated or inflamed (swollen).

Peritonitis [PEH-ree-TUHN-eye-TIS] is an inflamed peritoneum, the part of your body that surrounds your organs. It is usually caused by an infection. Peritonitis is treated with antibiotics and often needs surgery to help heal the injury that let the infection in.

Rectal prolapse is when the lowest part of the large intestine, called the rectum [REK-tum] slips out of the anus. It can make it difficult to hold in your bowel movements.