Gastrointestinal Diseases: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Dr. Rahul Verma 113 Views

Published: 22 Apr 2025
Updated: 22 Apr 2025

A gastrointestinal disease, like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), colorectal cancer and diarrhoea, indicates a problem in the digestive system. While some of these diseases show nothing wrong with the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, others have visible irregularities in the tract. Notably, most of the gastrointestinal diseases can be prevented and/or treated to relieve the symptoms.

Read on to know about the list of gastrointestinal diseases, the early signs of gastrointestinal disease and more.

What is a Gastrointestinal Disease?

Gastrointestinal diseases are health conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which takes food through the digestive system from the mouth to the rectum. While some digestive system diseases lead to problems that go away relatively fast with treatment, others cause more serious issues.

Further, these diseases can be acute or chronic:

Acute GI Disease: Happens suddenly and lasts a short period of time
Chronic GI Disease: Affects a person for many months or years

Besides, they can also be categorised as:

Functional GI Diseases: No physical or structural issue is seen in the digestive tract upon examination. While the structure of the alimentary tract seems normal, motility problems are highlighted in medical investigations. Examples: Non-complicated gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Structural GI Diseases: Evidence of an issue in the GI tract is found during examination; both abnormal outlook and motility are observed. Examples: Various forms of hepatitis, acute and chronic pancreatitis, gastric and duodenal peptic ulcer disease, cholelithiasis, Barrett’s oesophagus, oesophageal strictures, benign and malignant neoplasms, diverticular disease, haemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)

Gastrointestinal Disease Symptoms

Gastrointestinal diseases involve benign and malignant pathologies of the digestive tract, liver, biliary tract and pancreas. Some of the common gastrointestinal disease symptoms include:

Abdominal pain
Heartburn
Nausea
Vomiting
Bloating
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Gastrointestinal bleeding

In the case of functional GI diseases, patients experience diarrhoea, gas, nausea, poisoning, bloating and constipation. On the other hand, structural GI diseases, which are typically more complicated, tend to cause symptoms that last longer. Also, note that structural problems can cause issues like inflammation or blockages.

Causes of Gastrointestinal Diseases

Some of the most common causes of functional GI diseases are:

Consuming a lot of processed food items
Eating a diet low in fibre
Food sensitivities
Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menstruation
Holding poop
Not doing enough exercise
Stress and anxiety
Travelling or other changes in the typical routine
Taking certain medicines

When talking about structural GI diseases, the causes are more widespread.

Diagnosis and Treatment

For the diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease, various imaging, laboratory, endoscopic, non-invasive and invasive investigations are used. These days, doctors order molecular laboratory tests and gastrointestinal endoscopy with artificial intelligence for accurate diagnosis.

Usually, gastrointestinal disease treatment is challenging and needs a multidisciplinary team featuring gastroenterologists, oncologists, radiologists and surgeons. Managing GI diseases involves observation, conservative treatment, and invasive radiological, endoscopic, and surgical procedures. Nowadays, doctors use targeted and immunological oncological therapy and robotic surgery to improve gastrointestinal disease symptoms.

For functional GI diseases, treatment usually involves lifestyle changes, such as eating more fibre-rich food items, indulging in more physical activity and/or avoiding triggers. Sometimes, functional problems also go away on their own within a few days. For structural GI diseases, it is to be noted that symptoms do not get better with lifestyle changes alone.

Common Gastrointestinal Diseases

The following are the most common GI conditions:

GI Disease	Details
Constipation	Hard-to-pass or infrequent bowel movements Treatment: Drinking more water, eating more fibre and consuming over-the-counter laxatives
Irritable Bowel Syndrome	Intestinal muscles contract more or less often than normal Symptoms: Abdominal pain, gas and bloating Treatment: Changing eating habits or taking medication
Haemorrhoids	Symptoms: Swollen veins in the anus or the rectum Cause: Straining when having a bowel movement Treatment: Avoiding constipation activities and removing large, painful or persistent haemorrhoids
Diverticular Disease	Symptoms: Small infected pouches in the wall of the large intestine can lead to bleeding and bowel obstruction Treatment: Eating more fibre, taking antibiotics or having surgery
Colitis	Inflammation of the bowel Symptoms: Diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, abdominal cramps, and frequent and immediate need to poop
Celiac disease	Problems are caused in the GI tract upon eating gluten, a protein found in wheat and grains.
Gastritis	Inflammation in the stomach lining Symptoms: Loss of appetite, stomach pain or nausea Causes: Infection, chemicals and autoimmune diseases Treatment: Over-the-counter medication
Gastroenteritis	When inflammation spreads from the stomach into the intestines Symptoms: Pain, vomiting and diarrhoea Cause: A bacterial infection from food poisoning or a virus like the stomach flu
Acid reflux/GERD	Acid from the stomach flows back up into the oesophagus and the throat Symptoms: A burning feeling that can feel like a sore throat Treatment: Medications, changing your eating habits and surgery
Lactose intolerance	When the small intestine can’t absorb lactose, an ingredient in milk and dairy products Symptoms: Diarrhoea, bloating and gas Treatment: Avoiding foods and beverages that contain lactose
Indigestion/dyspepsia	Symptoms: Pain or discomfort after eating Treatment: Relieve symptoms with an antacid
Barrett’s Oesophagus	Appearance of the lining of the oesophagus changes Sometimes, it doesn’t cause symptoms Causes: Chronic acid reflux/GERD

Conclusion

A gastrointestinal disease may or may not show any symptoms. That is why, regular screening can help in the early detection of gastrointestinal problems. Also, it is to be noted that many GI diseases can be easily prevented and/or treated to improve the symptoms.