Traveler’s diarrhea is the abnormally swift passage of watery waste material through the large intestine, with consequent discharge of loose feces. Traveler’s diarrhea is accompanied by cramping and lasts a few days. It is almost always caused by toxin-generating Escherichia coli. Shigella infection may occur simultaneously, however, and visitors to countries where giardiasis is endemic may suffer infection. Contaminated salads remain the most common cause of traveler’s diarrhea in countries where the climate is hot. Such diarrhea generally disappears spontaneously with abstention from food accompanied by drinking of nonalcoholic fluids. Mixtures of sodium and potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and glucose reconstituted with water are one method of treatment.

Intestinal obstruction

The most serious problems in small intestine motor disturbances arise from an intestinal obstruction that results from encroachment on the bowel by an adhesive band or from internal blockage produced by a tumour or gallstone. Serious complications result when a portion of the intestine undergoes partial necrosis, or death, from lack of blood supply. The necrotic section cannot participate in peristaltic activity and, for all practical purposes, serves as an obstruction. The death of the tissue, furthermore, results in the escape of highly toxic fluids from the intestinal contents through the wall, producing peritonitis. The symptoms and treatment of intestinal obstruction depend on the nature of the obstruction and its location. Surgery is often necessary.

Irritable bowel syndrome

The common disorder known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is probably due to a disturbance of the motility of the whole intestinal tract or to increased sensitivity of the large intestine. The symptoms vary from watery diarrhea to constipation and the passage of stools with difficulty. When the colon is involved, an excess of mucus is often observed in the stools. Pain and cramping are most often felt in the lower abdomen. Generalized abdominal discomfort, sometimes with nausea, may follow defecation and may last 15 to 30 minutes. Many sufferers experience high levels of stress, and some have periods of anxiety depression.

Occasionally irritable bowel syndrome may be due to an allergy to specific foods. IBS may develop following an infection such as bacillary dysentery, after which the small intestine remains irritable for many months. Treatment of IBS includes elimination of stress, psychological support, change in lifestyle, and exercise. Possible aggravating items such as lactose-containing foods, coffee, and deep-fried dishes should be eliminated from the diet, and dietary fibre should be added to help in resolving constipation. When discomfort is prominent, antispasmodic agents that relax smooth muscle, such as dicyclomine hydrochloride or mebeverine, may be prescribed. If diarrhea does not respond to dietary measures, diphenoxylate or loperamide may slow the movement of the intestinal contents, thereby increasing the potential for the reabsorption of water.

Malabsorption

Malabsorption occurs when the small intestine is unable to transport broken-down products of digestive materials from the lumen of the intestine into the lymphatics or mesenteric veins, where they are distributed to the rest of the body. Defects in transport occur either because the absorptive cells of the intestine lack certain enzymes, whether by congenital defect or by acquired disease, or because the cells are hindered in their work by other disease processes that infiltrate the tissues, disturb motility, permit bacteria to overpopulate the bowel, or block the pathways over which transport normally proceeds. Malabsorption also may result from pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, obstruction of the bile ducts or lymphatic vessels, or surgical removal of a section of the small intestine.

Diagnosis of malabsorption is determined primarily from the patient’s history, physical examination, X-ray films of the abdomen, and study of the stools under controlled dietary conditions. Motor aspects of the intestine can be studied using a variety of techniques. A biopsy of the small intestine may also be performed to detect abnormalities.

Congenital malformations

Meckel diverticulum is a common congenital malformation that occurs when the duct leading from the navel to the small intestine in the fetus fails to atrophy and close. The duct serves as the principal channel for nourishment from the mother. The diverticulum in the child or adult may range from a small opening to a tube that is a foot or more in length; it may contain cells derived from the stomach glands that secrete acid and pepsin. If such secretions spill onto intestinal mucosa, the mucosa ulcerates and often bleeds. Thus a peptic ulcer can develop at a site far from the stomach or duodenum. The peptic ulcer gives rise to pain, bleeding, or obstruction, and it is the most common cause of bleeding from the lower intestine in children. Meckel diverticulum must be treated surgically if complications develop.

Another congenital problem in the small intestine is the presence of multiple diverticula, or outpouchings of mucosa and serosa. Multiple diverticula are seen usually in elderly persons, although occasionally one may be the site of acute inflammation in a young adult. Bacteria flourish in these diverticula because the outpouchings have no motor activity and cannot empty themselves. The bacteria deprive the body of nutrients and may cause diarrhea and serious malabsorption. The overgrowth of bacteria also upsets the motor activity of the small intestine. Antibiotics may control the condition in the elderly, but surgical resection of diverticula is necessary in younger persons.

Bacterial infections

Many bacterial organisms can infest the human body and cause disease. Species of Salmonella that cause typhoid and paratyphoid remain endemic scourges in tropical countries and, together with Shigella, are occasional causes of epidemics in institutions, especially among the elderly. Diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of the organisms in a stool culture. Antibiotics and solutions rich in electrolytes are effective therapy. Treatment is with antibiotics. Periodic vaccination is advisable for the protection of individuals exposed to areas where typhoid and paratyphoid are endemic.

Cholera, caused by Vibrio cholerae, is endemic to Southeast Asia and periodically becomes pandemic (widely distributed in more than one country). The oral or intravenous administration of electrolyte solutions rich in potassium has revolutionized the treatment of cholera, because deaths are due to a massive depletion of electrolytes and water. The toxin produced by V. cholerae attaches to the intestinal cells, the enterocytes, where it stimulates the membrane enzyme adenylate cyclase; this in turn interferes with the intracellular enzyme 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate synthetase (cyclic AMP), thereby disrupting the sodium pump system for movement of water and allowing potassium and bicarbonate to seep out of the cell.