On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

When you eat, your body breaks food down to a form it can use to build and nourish cells and provide energy. This process is called digestion.

Your digestive system is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube. It runs from your mouth to your anus and includes your esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines. Your liver, gallbladder and pancreas are also involved. They produce juices to help digestion.

There are many types of digestive disorders. The symptoms vary widely depending on the problem. In general, you should see your doctor if you have:

• Blood in your stool
• Changes in bowel habits
• Severe abdominal pain
• Unintentional weight loss
• Heartburn not relieved by antacids

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Learn about GI Motility (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Problems of the Digestive System (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Your Digestive System and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Confusing or Ambiguous Upper Gut Symptoms (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain), Long-Term (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain), Short-Term (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Abdominal Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Colonoscopy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• CT Enterography (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Gastrointestinal Bleeding: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Laparoscopy (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Lower GI Series (Barium Enema) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• MR Enterography (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Radiographic Tests in GI (American College of Gastroenterology)
• Stool Color: When to Worry (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stool Tests (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Upper GI Endoscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Upper GI Series (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Digestive Health Tips (American College of Gastroenterology)
• Keeping Your Gut in Check: Healthy Options to Stay on Tract (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Personal Relationships and Digestive Disorders (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)

Related Issues

• Globus (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• What Is a Gastroenterologist? (American College of Gastroenterology)

Specifics

• Gut Troubles: Pain, Gassiness, Bloating, and More (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Glucose-galactose malabsorption: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Microvillus inclusion disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

• Peristalsis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Digestive System Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastrointestinal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Intestinal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The role of obesity in mortality from digestive diseases in UK...
• Article: Advancements in NMN biotherapy and research updates in the field of...
• Article: Relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and digestive tract diseases and analysis...
• Digestive Diseases -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Definitions of Digestive Terms (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Digestive Diseases (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Digestive System (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Your Digestive System and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American College of Gastroenterology
• ASGE: Find a Doctor (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy)
• Find a Gastroenterologist (American College of Gastroenterology)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Collecting a Stool Sample for Testing (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Kids and Teens GI (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Protein-Losing Enteropathy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• What Is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Your Digestive System (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Digestive System (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

• Effects of Aging on the Digestive System (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Digestive diseases (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• EGD discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Fecal fat (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Gastrointestinal fistula (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Gastrointestinal perforation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stools - floating (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Upper GI and small bowel series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish