Short Bowel Syndrome: What is it?

Answer 1

Short bowel syndrome is a type of condition in which the small intestine is shorter than the average person's should be. This usually occurs when surgery has been operated in order to treat some other form of illness, though it is possible for a birth defect to cause this shorter bowel. No matter the cause, short bowel syndrome makes it impossible for a person to absorb the required nutrients by way of normal food consumption.

Symptoms for the condition can be numerous. For example, the stool will typically have a very foul odor and be oily or sticky, and there is often excess and frequent fatigue as well. Additionally, the individual is usually malnourished and not able to keep a healthy weight on the scale, while the body is also retaining a higher amount of fluid than is considered to be normal. Finally, it is not uncommon to have recurring pain.

The majority of the complications that a person with short bowel syndrome will suffer is due to the malnutrition of the required minerals and vitamins of food. Specifically, this includes not having the required amount of vitamins A, B12, D, E, as well as K, calcium, iron, folic acid, magnesium and zinc. In any person, short bowel syndrome or not, a deficiency in these vitamins can lead to a severe pain within the bones, anemia, muscle spasms and diminished health. Finally, there is also the complication of easy bruising and an absence of blood clotting upon injury.

Oral and intravenous supplements are typically used to deal with the effects that short bowel syndrome present, allowing the affected individual to obtain the nutrients required to live. Beyond this, there are also prescription medications that allow relief of the pain and absence of energy that most individuals will experience. In addition to this, the person who is suffering from short bowel syndrome will also most likely have to maintain a specific diet that includes processed foods for easier nutrient absorption. This kind of diet will generally include foods that are very high in nutritional value, making it must easier for the body to fully process into its system.