Conditions

There is so much that can go wrong in the 30-foot human digestive tract — conditions that cause things to move through too quickly, barely move through at all or come back up. Often, the trouble is complex and requires the attention of a specialist like those at the Neurogastroenterology & Motility Center. 

While you are at your wit’s end, they draw upon years of experience diagnosing the most intricate cases, asking the right questions and analyzing test results to quickly and precisely identify the cause of your distress, then craft a personalized care plan to take care of it.

Not sure what’s going on with your system? Explore the list of disorders we treat below and call us for guidance. We’re always happy to help.

List of Conditions

The most common digestive conditions we treat include:

• Achalasia. This relatively rare condition is caused when damage in the esophagus traps food there instead of allowing it to pass into the stomach. Symptoms can include:
  • Trouble swallowing
  • Feeling of food being stuck
  • Regurgitation of acid
  • Heart burn
  • Unexplained weight loss
• Gastroparesis, in which nerves in the stomach don’t work properly, trapping food there for longer than usual and delaying digestion. This can be the result of diabetes and thyroid disorders. Symptoms can include:
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Bloating
  • Feeling full even after eating small amounts
• Chronic nausea and vomiting
• Disorders of gut-brain interaction covers a range of functional gastrointestinal disorders such as:
  • Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome can be the result of long-term use of cannabis or marijuana. It’s characterized by severe, recurrent vomiting. Other symptoms can include: 
    • Dehydration
    • Stomach pain
  • Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome and its recurrent, unexplained bouts of nausea and vomiting are not completely understood. Causes may be genetic, hormonal or neurological, and bouts can be triggered by physical exhaustion, dehydration, stress, overheating, certain foods or environmental allergens. Added symptoms can include:
    • Diarrhea
    • Dizziness
    • Headaches
    • Nausea
    • Abdominal pain
    • Sweating
  • Functional constipation is trouble defecating with no physical or physiological cause. Symptoms can include:
    • Difficult or infrequent bowel movements
    • Painful defecation
    • Hard stools
    • Feeling that you cannot get all stool out
    • Bloating
    • Abdominal pain
    • Fecal incontinence
  • Functional diarrhea is chronic diarrhea with no known cause that can last days to weeks. Symptoms include:
    • Loose stools
    • Frequent stools
    • Stool that gets better after fasting
  • Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disorder of the intestines. We don’t always know the cause but it can be due to sensitivity or muscular problems of the intestines. Symptoms can include:
    • Stomach pain
    • Gas
    • Diarrhea
    • Constipation
    • Bloating
    • Mucus in the stools
    • Feeling like you haven’t completely emptied your bowels
• Eosinophilic esophagitis, also known as inflammation of the esophagus, this is caused by the presence of white blood cells called eosinophils in that part of the digestive tract. It could be triggered by food allergies, hay fever, eczema or asthma. Symptoms can include:
  • Heartburn
  • Trouble or painful swallowing
  • Pain in the chest or upper belly
• Fecal incontinence is being unable to control bowel movements, whether it’s occasional leakage when you pass gas or complete loss of bowel control, due to muscle or nerve damage from aging or childbirth. Symptoms can include:
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Gas
  • Bloating
• Gastroenteritis is a clinical term for an upset stomach, usually caused by an infection and/or inflammation of the digestive system. Symptoms include:
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is the backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus due to a leaky valve between the esophagus and stomach. The acid can cause chronic heartburn, regurgitation and, in severe cases, pain and inflammation in the esophagus. Symptoms, which are more common when lying down, can include:
  • Heartburn, or a burning pain behind the breastbone
  • Regurgitation of food and liquid into the mouth
  • Pulmonary complications such as chronic cough, vocal cord dysfunction and bronchitis
• Intestinal pseudo-obstruction, also known as pseudo-intestinal obstruction, produces the same symptoms as a bowel obstruction but with no actual obstruction. The cause is nerve or muscle problems that slow or stop the movement of food, air and liquid through the intestines. Symptoms can include:
  • Abdominal pain
  • Bloating
  • Feeling too full after eating
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Constipation or diarrhea
• Pelvic floor dysfunction, the term for an inability to relax muscles supporting the bladder and bowels enough for a bowel movement, is a common result of childbirth and can be related to such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation. Symptoms can include:
  • Constipation or straining
  • Lower back pain
  • Pain in the pelvic region, genitals or rectum
  • Discomfort during sex for women
• Swallowing disorders, also called dysphagia, this impacts your ability to move food and liquids from mouth to stomach. It’s more common in older people, babies and people with brain or nervous system conditions like a stroke. Symptoms can include:
  • Trouble getting food or liquid to go down your throat on the first try
  • Gagging, choking or coughing when you swallow
  • Pain when swallowing
  • Having food or liquids come back up into your mouth
  • Feeling like food is stuck in your throat or chest
  • Weight loss
• Systemic sclerosis affecting the GI tract is related to the autoimmune disease scleroderma which affects organ systems in the body and can cause thickening of the gut wall and/or a thinning of muscles in the digestive system. The result is an inability to move food or liquid through properly. Symptoms can include:
  • Dysphagia or trouble swallowing
  • Heartburn
  • Distention and bloating
  • Abdominal pain