What Are The Symptoms Of Short Bowel Syndrome?
Short bowel syndrome is a disorder in which the body is unable to absorb adequate amounts of nutrients from the food consumed because it does not have an adequate length of the small intestine. In healthy individuals, the food is passed through the esophagus and into the stomach, where it is digested and moves into the small intestine for nutrient absorption. A healthy adult typically has about twenty feet of the small intestine, where individuals affected by short bowel syndrome usually have less than ten feet. Some medical conditions or diseases require a surgical procedure to remove large parts of the individual's small intestine such as ischemia, cancer, trauma, and Crohn's disease. The other reason why short bowel syndrome occurs is when the patient is born with missing or damaged portions of their small intestine that had to be surgically removed shortly after birth. Aside from having a shortened small intestine, several other symptoms can indicate short bowel syndrome.