Symptoms

Abdominal pain can be caused by a number of issues, but more serious symptoms could indicate an underlying disorder in the gastrointestinal tract.

Rectal bleeding, usually stemming from the rectum or lower colon, is a serious symptom that should always be reported to your gastroenterologist.

Bloating in the stomach is usually caused by excess gas or retained fluids, and can often be alleviated with a few simple lifestyle modifications.

Blood in the stool may have a light or dark color, but either way, a visit to a GI specialist is strongly advised to help determine the cause for it.

Bowel (or fecal) incontinence is when an individual cannot control their bowel movements, from minor leaks and passing gas to total loss of control.

A common problem, constipation happens when stool dries out and hardens in the bowel, making it difficult to excrete and leading to discomfort.

Diarrhea—watery, loose stool—affects most of us at one point or another, but persistent or severe cases may signal a larger GI health problem.

Difficulty swallowing can be caused by inflammation, allergic reactions, or other causes and may spiral into a larger problem if left untreated.

While gas is common and natural, for some, it can create discomfort or make it difficult to complete daily tasks; help is available.

Heartburn is a burning pain in the chest paired with an acrid, bitter taste that occurs when lying down, bending over, or after eating.

Indigestion is an uncomfortable bloating feeling in the upper abdomen that may require treatment if it's persistent or accompanied by other symptoms.

Nausea is the feeling someone experiences in their stomach that gives them the urge to vomit (throw up) due to possible illnesses or other conditions.

An unexplained weight gain or loss is a noticeable gain or loss in weight that occurs when an attempt to make any changes to weight has not been made.

Vomiting is when your body feels at risk due to possible dangers, such as viruses or poison, and forcefully expels all of the contents in the stomach.

Yellowing of the Skin and Eyes is when an elevated level of bilirubin in the blood causes the whites of the eyes and skin to have a yellowish hue.