Intestine

Image:Stomach colon rectum diagram.gif The intestine is the portion of the alimentary canalextending from the stomachto the anusand, in humans and mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestineand the large intestine. In humans, the small intestine is further subivided into the duodenum, jejunumand ileumwhile the large intestine is subdivided into the cecum, colonand rectum.

The intestine is the part of the bodyresponsible for extracting nutritionfrom food. While the stomach's role mainly consists in "breaking" food molecules into nutrients, the intestine allows these nutrients to enter the blood via its dedicated membrane.

The small intestine has a particular folded texture in order to increase the surface area available for diffusion of nutrients through the intestinal wall so they can be absorbed. These microscopic folds are called microvilli. In an adult human, the small intestine is, on average, about seven meters long.

The large intestine or colon hosts several kinds of bacteria that deal with molecules the human body is not able to destroy itself. This is an example of symbiosis. These bacteria also account for the production of gases inside our intestine (which is released as flatulence when removed through the anus).

Diseases of the intestine

Gastroenteritisis inflammation of the intestines and is the most common disease of the intestines. It can arise as the result of food poisoning.

Ileusis a blockage of the intestines.

Appendicitisis inflammation of the vermiform appendixlocated at the cecum. This is a potentially fatal disease if left untreated; most cases of appendicitis will require surgical intervention.

Crohn's diseaseand ulcerative colitisare examples of autoimmune diseasesaffecting the intestines. Crohn's can affect the entire GI tract, while colitis is limited to the bowel.

Disorders of the intestine

Irritable Bowel Syndromeis the most common functional disorder of the intestines, and specifically the bowel. Functional Constipation and Chronic Functional Abdominal Painare other disorders of the intestines that have physiological causes, but do not have identifiable structural, chemical, or infectious pathologies. They are aberrations of normal bowel function but not diseases.

See also

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• IBD

References

• An Irritable Bowel Syndrome Glossarywith extensive bowel definitions, diseases, disorders, and more.

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intestine Wikipedia article Intestine.