Small Intestine Disorders
Summary
Your small intestine is the longest part of your digestive system – about twenty feet long! It connects your stomach to your large intestine (or colon) and folds many times to fit inside your abdomen. Your small intestine does most of the digesting of the foods you eat. It has three areas called the duodenum, the ileum, and the jejunum.
Problems with the small intestine can include:
- Bleeding
- Celiac disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Infections
- Intestinal cancer
- Intestinal obstruction
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Ulcers, such as peptic ulcer
Treatment of disorders of the small intestine depends on the cause.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.
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Featured Podcast Episodes
September 18, 2023
5 Things Patients Should Know About Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Yes, you have bacteria in your gut. Yes, that’s normal. But small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a gastrointestinal condition where there is an excessive amount of bacteria in the small intestine. SIBO can lead to uncomfortable symptoms including bloating, diarrhea and nausea, which overlap with other gastrointestinal conditions, making SIBO diagnosis a bit tricky. SIBO can also cause unintentional weight loss and malabsorption. Dr. Mark Pimentel, a leading gastroenterologist and SIBO expert from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center joins us to explain what’s really going on inside our gut with SIBO. He also gives us some insight on the causes, risk factors, and how SIBO is diagnosed and treated. Dr. Pimentel, who is the author of the book, The Microbiome Connection: Your Guide to IBS, SIBO, and Low-Fermentation Eating, also shares some surprising insight on how artificial sugars can affect our gut microbiome.
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