3. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Hard palate: Anterior portion of the roof of the mouth.

Soft palate: Lies posterior to hard palate.

Uvula: Small soft tissue projection that hangs from the soft palate. It aids

production of sounds and speech.

Mastication: Chewing.

Deglutition: Swallowing.

Gums: Fleshy tissue surrounding the sockets of the teeth.

Salivary glands: Produce saliva which contains important digestive enzymes as

well as healing growth factors such as cytokines and proteins. The salivary glands

are parotid gland, submandibular gland and sublingual gland.

Pharynx: Throat. Serves as a common passageway for both air traveling from the

nose and food from the oral cavity.

Esophagus: Muscular tube from the pharynx to the stomach

Peristalsis: Series of organized muscle contractions that occur throughout the

digestive tract.

Villi: Tiny microscopic projections that line the walls of the small intestine. The tiny

capillaries in the villi absorb digestive nutrients into the bloodstream.

Defecation: Expulsion or passage of feces from the body through the anus.

Emulsification: Is the process whereby large globules of fat are broken down into

smaller globules and made water soluble.

Papillae: Small elevations on the tongue.

Hydrochloric acid: Produced by stomach and aids in digestion.

Insulin: Hormone secreted by pancreas which transports sugar from the blood into

the cells.

Lipase: Pancreatic enzyme necessary for digestion of fats.

Gallbladder: Small sac under liver which stores bile.

Pancreas: Organ under the stomach that produces insulin and enzymes.

Appendix: Blind pouch hanging from the cecum.

Bile: Digestive juice made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It is composed

of bile pigments, cholesterol and bile salts.

Bilirubin: Pigment released by the liver in bile.

Stomach: The muscular organ that receives food from the esophagus. The

stomach’s parts are fundus, body and antrum.

Rugae: Ridges on the hard palate and wall of the stomach.

Pylorus: Distal region of the stomach opening into the duodenum.

Sphincter: Circular ring of muscle that constricts a passage or closes the natural

opening.

Duodenum: First part of the small intestine.

Jejunum: Second part of the small intestine.

Ileum: Third part of the small intestine.

Colon: Large intestine, consisting of the cecum; the ascending, transverse, and

descending segments of the colon; and the rectum.

Liver: Organ in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. It secretes bile, stores

sugar, destroys worn out blood cells and produces blood proteins.

Rectum: Last section of the large intestine connecting the end of the colon and the

anus.

Sigmoid colon: Last S-shaped segment of the colon which empties into the rectum.

Anorexia: Lack of appetite. It is often a sign of malignancy or liver disease.

Ascites: Abnormal accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity. Also known as

abdominal dropsy.

Constipation: Difficulty in passing stools.

Diarrhea: Frequent loose or liquid bowel movements.

Dysphagia: Difficulty in swallowing.

Hematochezia: Passage of fresh, bright red blood from the rectum.

Jaundice: Icterus. Yellow orange coloration of the skin and whites of the eyes

caused by high levels of bilirubin in the blood.

Melena: Black tarry stools.

Nausea: Unpleasant sensation in the stomach associated with a tendency to vomit.

Steatorrhea: Fat in the feces; frothy foul smelling fecal matter.

Apthous stomatitis: Canker sore. Type of oral ulcer.

Oral leukoplakia: White plaque or patches on the mucosa of the mouth.

Periodontal disease: Inflammation and degeneration of the gums, teeth and

surrounding bone.

Achalasia: Smooth muscle layer of the esophagus has impaired peristalsis and the

lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax properly in response to swallowing.

Esophageal varices : Swollen varicose veins at the lower end of the esophagus.

Gastric carcinoma: Malignant tumor of the stomach.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease: Acidic stomach contents move backward into

the esophagus when the lower esophageal sphincter is weak.

Hernia: Protrusion of an organ or part of an organ through the muscle normally

containing it.

Peptic ulcer: Mucosal ulceration on the stomach or duodenum.

Anal fistula: An anal fistula is a small tunnel (tract) with an internal opening in the

anal canal and external opening in the skin near the anus.

Colonic polyposis: Polyps (benign growths) protrude from the mucous membrane

of the colon.

Colorectal cancer: Adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum, or both.

Crohn’s disease: Regional enteritis. Chronic episodic inflammatory bowel disease.

Diverticulosis: Outpocketing of the colonic mucosa and submucosa through

weakness of muscle layers in the colon wall.

Dysentery: Infection of the digestive system that results in severe diarrhea

containing mucus and blood in the feces and is typically the result of unsanitary

water containing microorganisms which cause significant inflammation of the

intestinal lining.

Hemorrhoids: Varicosities or swelling and inflammation of veins in the rectum and

anus.

Ileus: Disruption of peristalsis resulting in obstruction of the intestines.

Intussusception: One portion of the bowel slides into the next much like the

pieces of a telescope.

Irritable bowel syndrome: Functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal

pain and changes in bowel habits which are not associated with any abnormalities.

Ulcerative colitis: Chronic inflammation of the colon with presence of ulcers.

Volvulus: Twisting of the intestine on itself.

Cholelithiasis: Gallstones in the gallbladder.

Cirrhosis: Chronic degenerative disease of the liver.

Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas.

Viral hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver caused by virus.ZZZZZZZZZZZZ