Other disorders can have symptoms that may be similar to or overlap with gastrointestinal functional or motility disorders. Several of these are listed below along with links to sites where you can find out more information. Included on this page are other nonprofits that also address functional GI and motility disorders.
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Birth Defects
- Birth defects (problems that happen as a fetus is developing during pregnancy) may cause the anus, rectum, and colon to not develop properly. Diagnoses include: Imperforate Anus; Cloaca; Cloacal Exstrophy; Anal Stenosis; Bladder Exstrophy; VACTERL/VATER Association; Hirschsprung's Disease; Tethered Spinal Cord; Neurogenic Bladder; Caudal Regression; Down Syndrome; and others.
- Website: Pull-thru Network
- Crohn's Disease
- Crohn's disease is a serious inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It predominates in the intestine (ileum) and the large intestine (colon), but may occur in any section of the GI tract. Crohn's disease usually causes diarrhea, crampy abdominal pain, often fever, and at times rectal bleeding. Loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss also may occur. Symptoms may range from mild to severe, but in general people with Crohn's disease can lead active and productive lives.
- Website: Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (CCF)
- Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS)
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CVS is an unexplained functional digestive disorder characterized by recurrent, prolonged attacks of severe nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain resulting in decreased quality of life for both children and adults. Largely overlooked until about the mid-1990s, millions of people worldwide suffer from this debilitating syndrome, while the clinical doctors are increasingly educated about CVS, the number of US patients diagnosed with this syndrome is climbing at a staggering rate.
- Website: Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association
- Eosinophilic Enteropathy
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Eosinophilic Enteropathy is a digestive system disorder in which eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, are found in above normal amounts in the digestive system. Symptoms vary depending on where and in what number the eosinophils are found. Also, symptoms tend to be highly specific to each individual case. Common symptoms may include pain, swelling, skin rash or hives, reflux, choking, difficulty swallowing, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stools containing blood and/or mucus, abdominal cramping, and/or diarrhea.
- Eosinophila Myalgia Syndrome (EMS)
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EMS is a rare, systemic, immune mediated disease that originally surfaced in the United States as an epidemic in 1989 resulting from ingestion of an amino acid, L-Tryptophan, a popular health food supplement at the time. The FDA recalled the supplement in March 1990. New cases may occur through unknown means. During the acute phase, EMS is characterized by flu-like symptoms, intense muscle pain with spasms and contractures, burning rashes, breathing difficulties and elevated eosinophil (a type of white blood cell) count. Later the disease attacks many areas of the body in a random manner and with varying degrees of severity from patient to patient.
- Gluten intolerance/Celiac disease
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Gluten intolerance/Celiac disease is the result of an autoimmune system response to the ingestion of gluten (from wheat, rye, and barley) that damages the small intestine. Classic symptoms include: diarrhea, bloating, weight loss, anemia, chronic fatigue, weakness, bone pain, and muscle cramps.
- Website: The Gluten Intolerance Group
- Website: National Celiac Association
- Hepatitis
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Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by a hepatitis virus. Symptoms vary and may include light stools, dark urine, fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and jaundice. Some persons have mild flu-like symptoms, and some people experience no symptoms.
- Website: Hepatitis Foundation International
- Website: American Liver Foundation
- Interstitial cystitis (IC)
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Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the bladder. Its cause is unknown. Symptoms vary and may include frequency, urgency, lower abdominal pain, muscle and joint pain, migraines, allergic reactions, and gastrointestinal problems.
- Website: Interstitial Cystitis Association
- Motility Diseases and Disorders
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The Gastroparesis Patient Association for Cures and Treatments (G-PACT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of gastroparesis and chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
- Website: G-PACT
The Association of Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders (AGMD) serves as an educational resource concerning digestive motility diseases and disorders.
- Ostomy
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An ostomy refers to the surgically created opening in the body for the discharge of body wastes. There are many different types of ostomies.
- Parkinson Disease
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The Mission of the National Parkinson Foundation is to find the cause of and the cure for Parkinson disease through research, to improve the quality of life for persons with Parkinson and their caregivers, and to educate persons with Parkinson, their caregivers, healthcare professionals, and the general public about Parkinson disease and its treatment.
- Website: The National Parkinson Foundation
- Parenteral and enteral nutrition
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Sometimes a person cannot receive enough nutrients from the food they eat because of a severe gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that impairs their ability to swallow food, move food along the GI tract, or absorb nutrients from the food. In such cases, home parenteral or enteral (homePEN) nutrition support may be necessary.
- Website: The Oley Foundation
- Pediatric Feeding Disorders
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Pediatric feeding disorders make it difficult or impossible for a child to eat, drink, or digest food normally, often compromising their health and development. Feeding Matters is committed to partnering with families and healthcare professionals to promote awareness understanding of these conditions.
- Website: Feeding Matters
- Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux
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Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) or reflux, is a medical terms used to describe a condition in which stomach contents – food and gastric acid – frequently flow back up out of the stomach into the esophagus. The food that comes up may or may not flow all the way out of the mouth. It may be forceful vomiting which rapidly and completely empties the stomach, or it can be more like a "wet burp" that doesn't reach the mouth.
- Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders
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Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJDs) refer to a complex and poorly understood set of conditions that can cause pain in the area of the jaw joint and associated muscles and/or problems using the jaw. TMJDs can affect a person's ability to speak, eat, chew, swallow, make facial expressions, and even breathe.
- Website: TMJ Association (TMJA)
- Ulcerative colitis
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Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the colon, the large intestine, which is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the innermost lining of the colon. Symptoms characteristically include diarrhea with or without rectal bleeding and often abdominal pain.
- Website: Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (CCF)
- Urinary incontinence
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Urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control) was conservatively reported in 1996 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to affect 15%-30% of community-dwelling adults and at least half of all individuals confined to nursing homes. This translates into 13 million Americans, 11 million, or 85%, of whom are estimated to be women.
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