The intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract that runs from the stomach to the anus. Despite the insignificant volume that the intestines have in their natural position, they are very long. This organ is involved in digestion and elimination of toxins, and is also an integral part of the immune system. In addition, hormones are synthesized here. How long is the adult intestine?
Bowel length
The intestine is divided into 2 parts: thin and thick.
The intestine is divided into 2 parts:
- thin (with a varying diameter from 2.5 cm to 6 cm);
- thick (with a diameter of 6 - 10 cm).
The length of these parts also varies: in the large intestine it is approximately 2 m.
The length of the thin one is about 4 m, but these indicators are typical for living people. After death, the length of the small intestine increases significantly - up to 8 m.
This is possible due to the complete relaxation of his muscles. It has been noted that the length of the small intestine differs between women and men: among the stronger sex it is longer. The intestines increase in length as a person grows. At the moment of birth, the length of this organ is only 3 m, but even at this time this length is 6 times greater than the baby’s height.
Enzymatic activity of saliva at an early age
Although the enzymatic activity of saliva at an early age is low, its effect on milk promotes its curdling in the stomach to form small flakes, which facilitates the hydrolysis of casein. Hypersalivation at 3-4 months of age is caused by teething; saliva may flow out of the mouth due to the inability of children to swallow it. The reaction of saliva in children of the first year of life is neutral or slightly acidic - this can contribute to the development of thrush of the oral mucosa if it is not properly cared for. At an early age, saliva has a low content of lysozyme, secretory immunoglobulin A, which determines its low bactericidal properties and the need for proper oral care.
Features of the small intestine
The main purpose of the small intestine is to digest food.
This part goes from the stomach to the large intestine. The main purpose of this area is to digest food.
The structure of the organ has its own characteristics: it is covered with a thin serous membrane - the peritoneum, which passes into the mesentery, which attaches the small intestine to the posterior wall of the abdominal cavity.
The mesentery fixes the intestines in the desired position and holds its loops. The mesentery itself includes blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves.
The act of defecation in children, child
The act of defecation in infants occurs reflexively without the participation of a volitional moment, and only by the end of the first year of life does defecation become voluntary.
In the first hours and days of life, a newborn excretes original feces, or meconium, in the form of a thick, odorless, dark olive-colored mass. Subsequently, the feces of a healthy infant have a yellow color, an acidic reaction and a sour smell, and their consistency is mushy. At an older age, the stool becomes formed. The frequency of stool in infants is from 1 to 4-5 times a day, in older children - 1 time a day.
Features of the large intestine
The large intestine produces feces.
The large intestine is considered the lower part. It passes closer to the sides of the abdominal cavity and, as it were, goes around this space.
The walls of the large intestine are much thicker than those of the previous part, but the length of the organ is shorter - a little more than one and a half meters. Its main purpose is the formation of feces.
Here, water is removed from the digested food, and feces are formed from what remains. The large intestine has a number of fragments, each of which performs its own functions:
- cecum (has a sac-like appearance, the length of the section can reach up to 13 cm, the liquid component is absorbed here);
- ascending colon (initial section);
- transverse colon (the main section, where water and electrolytes are absorbed);
- descending colon (terminal part);
- S-shaped sigmoid colon (transitional part to the rectum);
- rectum.
The cecum has its own peculiarity: the appendix extends from it - this is the name of the vermiform appendix, which was previously considered a rudiment, that is, an organ that has lost its purpose in the process of evolutionary changes. However, recent studies have proven the importance of the appendix; its significance boils down to the following: eliminating pathogenic microflora, ensuring intestinal motility.
Violations
Poor functioning of the digestive organ can be associated with several factors. The more factors that affect the intestines at the same time, the more severe the pathology and the more difficult it is to treat. The following reasons play a role in the development of intestinal tract diseases:
- genetic predisposition;
- weakened immunity;
- poor nutrition;
- bad habits;
- passive lifestyle;
- some medicines;
- intestinal infections.
The following symptoms unite intestinal diseases:
- Abdominal pain. The pain syndrome can be intense aching or even sharp paroxysmal. In some cases, it appears in episodes or is associated with food intake. In some diseases, patients can name a clear localization of pain, while in other disorders, the pain outbreak is diffuse. For example, when the small intestine is damaged, discomfort occurs in the umbilical region. Diffuse pain is more characteristic of intestinal bloating due to stretching of the walls by gases.
- Flatulence. This symptom occurs due to excess accumulation of gases. The cause of this condition may be fermentation processes, intestinal atony or decreased motor function.
- Decreased appetite. In fact, patients develop a fear of eating. This is explained by the fact that after a meal the intestines begin to actively contract and secrete digestive juices, which provokes painful attacks.
- Constipation or diarrhea.
Intestinal diseases usually develop against a background of weakened immunity
Heart attack
A heart attack is the death of the intestinal wall. Impaired blood flow can occur due to blockage or spasm. The insidiousness of this pathology lies in the difficulty of diagnosis. Without an angiographic study, it is almost impossible to make a diagnosis.
The pathology manifests itself in the form of sudden cramping pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Given the fact that most often the disease is detected in late stages, treatment is mainly surgical. It is advisable to use conservative therapy until signs of peritonitis develop.
Dyskinesia
The pathology is based on deterioration of intestinal tone and motility. Organic damage is not detected during examination, but functional activity is significantly reduced. Dyskinesia causes indigestion. Pathology often develops against the background of neurological disorders. This is why dyskinesia is most often diagnosed in women.
Dyskinesia is divided into hypertonic and hypotonic types. In the first case, persistent spastic contractions of the intestine are observed. They can cause chronic constipation and painful colic. The pathology causes acute cramping pain in the lower abdomen and iliac regions.
The painful outbreak subsides for some time after defecation, and after eating it returns again. Chronic intoxication of the body leads to mental and physical decline in performance. With hypertensive dyskinesia, there may be no stool for several days, and then a large amount of feces is released.
With hypotension, on the contrary, peristalsis is weakened. Patients are bothered by dull painful cramps in the abdomen, a feeling of fullness, and bloating. Feces pass with great difficulty and in small quantities. This causes poisoning of the body.
Endometriosis
A benign neoplasm occurs due to the entry of endometrial cells of the uterus into other organs. Hormonal changes, hereditary predisposition, and weakened immunity play a major role in the formation of the disease. When the external intestinal muscles are affected, nausea and abdominal pain occur during menstruation. If the sigmoid colon is involved in the process, the pain attack is localized in the left lower abdomen.
The following symptoms are typical for endometriosis:
- pain in the depths of the pelvis and in the anus during menstrual periods;
- constipation or diarrhea;
- painful bowel movements;
- the appearance of blood and mucus in the stool;
- increased bowel movements during menstruation.
In women, intestinal endometriosis can cause pain during intercourse, as well as prolonged and heavy menstruation. Drug treatment is aimed at normalizing hormonal levels, since intestinal endometriosis is only a secondary process.
Structure of the intestinal walls
The intestinal walls include 4 layers.
The intestinal walls include 4 layers:
- mucous membrane;
- submucosa;
- muscle layer;
- outer serous layer.
In the small intestine, the mucous membrane is covered with villi, their purpose is to improve the absorption capabilities of the organ. The large intestine does not have them, but it has its own characteristics - folds, crypts.
Esophagus, stomach in a child, children
The esophagus in young children has a funnel shape. Its length in newborns is 10 cm, with age it increases, and the diameter of the esophagus becomes larger. At the age of up to one year, physiological narrowing of the esophagus is weakly expressed, especially in the area of the cardiac part of the stomach, which contributes to frequent regurgitation of food in children of the 1st year of life.
The stomach in infants is located horizontally, its bottom and cardiac region are poorly developed, which explains the tendency of children in the first year of life to regurgitate and vomit.
As the child begins to walk, the axis of the stomach becomes more vertical, and by the age of 7-11 it is located in the same way as in an adult. The stomach capacity of a newborn is 30-35 ml, by the age of one year it increases to 250-300 ml, and by the age of 8 it reaches 1000 ml.
The secretory apparatus of the stomach in children of the 1st year of life is not sufficiently developed; they have fewer glands in the gastric mucosa than adults, and their functional abilities are low. Although the composition of gastric juice in children is the same as in adults (hydrochloric acid, lactic acid, pepsin, rennet, lipase), the acidity and enzymatic activity are lower, which determines the low barrier function of the stomach and a different pH of the gastric juice (4-5 ; in adults 1.5-2.2). In this regard, proteins are not sufficiently broken down in the stomach by pepsin (they are broken down mainly by cathepsins and gastricsin, produced by the gastric mucosa). Gastric lipase (produced by the pyloric part of the stomach) breaks down in an acidic environment, together with human milk lipase, up to half of the fats in human milk. These features must be taken into account when prescribing different types of food to a child .
Functions
Immunoglobulins are formed in the intestines.
The small intestine deals with digestion. Here leucorrhoea, fats, carbohydrates are broken down, amino acids, polysaccharides, fatty acids, and monoglycerides are formed, which are absorbed into the blood.
It is associated not only with the stomach. This includes ducts from the pancreas and liver. The undigested mass - chyme - goes after the small intestine to the large intestine.
In the large intestine, feces are formed from chyme after the absorption of water and electrolytes. The basis for the functioning of the intestines is the movement of incoming food. It occurs due to special contractions (perstaltic and antiperistaltic, pendulum-like and rhythmic).
Immunoglobulins and some hormones are formed in the intestines.
How is food digested in the body?
Digestion
is a chemical process during which food is first mixed with gastric juice and then passes through the gastrointestinal tract, gradually breaking down into its components. Digestion begins not even in the stomach, but in the mouth, because in the process of chewing a person already grinds food and partially mixes it with saliva to make swallowing easier. From this moment we can already talk about the beginning of the digestion process, which will end only in the small intestine. It's not such a short journey.
The gastrointestinal tract consists of several sections. Stomach and intestines
are large, hollow organs with a layer of muscle that allows their walls to move so that food and liquid can move through the digestive system.
Without such help, the digestion process would be impossible, food would simply stagnate in the stomach. The process of contraction of the gastrointestinal tract is called peristalsis
and is compared to a wave that passes along the digestive tract and helps food and liquid slowly move forward. If the food was thoroughly chewed beforehand and there was enough liquid, then it will be easier to move it through the digestive tract.
Treatment of dyspepsia
Dyspepsia is treated based on the underlying disease. If there has been an unbalanced diet, the patient is prescribed additional protein, amino acids, minerals and trace elements. Unstable stool – diarrhea for 3-5 days requires a corrective diet. The following must be included in the diet:
- astringents - blueberries, rowan, oak bark tincture, rice water, etc.;
- products that reduce bloating and gas - dill water, peppermint tincture, charcoal and other medications;
- enzymes that perform substitution. For example, Festal, Pancreatin, Creon, etc.
The digestive system in children, child. Generalization
The digestive system in children is distinguished by a number of anatomical and physiological features that affect the functional ability of these organs. A child in the first year of life has a relatively greater need for food than older children. Although the child has all the necessary digestive enzymes, the functional capacity of the digestive organs is limited and can only be sufficient if the child receives physiological food, namely human milk. Even small deviations in the quantity and quality of food can cause digestive disorders in an infant (they are especially common in the 1st year of life) and ultimately lead to retarded physical development.
Liver in children, child
The liver in children is relatively large, in newborns it makes up about 4% of body weight (in adults - 2% of body weight). In young children, bile formation is less intense than in older children. The bile of children is poor in bile acids, cholesterol, lecithin, salts and alkali, but rich in water, mucin, pigments and urea, and also contains more taurocholic acid than glycocholic acid (taurocholic acid is an antiseptic). Bile neutralizes acidic food gruel, which makes the activity of pancreatic and intestinal secretions possible. In addition, bile activates pancreatic lipase, emulsifies fats, dissolves fatty acids, turning them into soaps, and enhances peristalsis of the large intestine.
