Intestinal ischemia
Find out why Mayo Clinic is the right place for your health care. Make an appointment..
Find a directory of doctors and departments at all Mayo Clinic campuses. Visit now..
See how Mayo Clinic research and clinical trials advance the science of medicine and improve patient care. Explore now..
Educators at Mayo Clinic train tomorrow’s leaders to deliver compassionate, high-value, safe patient care. Choose a degree..
Explore Mayo Clinic’s many resources and see jobs available for medical professionals. Get updates..
Your support accelerates powerful innovations in patient care, research and education. Give today..
The small intestine and colon are components of your digestive tract, which processes the foods you eat. The intestines extract nutrients from the foods. What isn’t absorbed by the intestines continues along the digestive tract and is expelled as stool during a bowel movement.
Intestinal ischemia (is-KEE-me-uh) describes a variety of conditions that occur when blood flow to your intestines decreases due to a blocked blood vessel, usually an artery. Intestinal ischemia can affect your small intestine, your large intestine (colon) or both.
Intestinal ischemia is a serious condition that can cause pain and make it difficult for your intestines to work properly. In severe cases, loss of blood flow to the intestines can damage intestinal tissue and possibly lead to death.
Treatments are available for intestinal ischemia. To improve the chances of recovery, it’s crucial to recognize the early symptoms and get medical help right away.
Signs and symptoms of intestinal ischemia can develop suddenly (acute) or gradually (chronic). Signs and symptoms may be different from one person to the next, but there are some generally recognized patterns that suggest intestinal ischemia.
Signs and symptoms of acute intestinal ischemia typically include:
Signs and symptoms of chronic intestinal ischemia can include:
Seek immediate medical care if you have sudden, severe abdominal pain. Pain that makes you so uncomfortable that you can’t sit still or find a comfortable position is a medical emergency.
If you have other signs or symptoms that worry you, make an appointment with your doctor.
Intestinal ischemia occurs when the blood flow through the major arteries that supply blood to your intestines slows or stops. The condition has many potential causes, including a blockage in an artery caused by a blood clot, or a narrowing of an artery due to buildup of deposits, such as cholesterol. Blockages also can occur in veins, but they’re less common.
Intestinal ischemia is often divided into categories:
This type of intestinal ischemia, which is the most common, occurs when blood flow to the colon is slowed. The cause of diminished blood flow to the colon isn’t always clear, but a number of conditions can make you more vulnerable to colon ischemia:
This type of intestinal ischemia usually affects the small intestine. It has an abrupt onset and may be due to:
Chronic mesenteric ischemia, also known as intestinal angina, results from the buildup of fatty deposits on an artery wall (atherosclerosis). The disease process is generally gradual, and you may not require treatment until at least two of the three major arteries supplying your intestines become severely narrowed or completely obstructed.
A potentially dangerous complication of chronic mesenteric ischemia is the development of a blood clot within a diseased artery, causing blood flow to be suddenly blocked (acute mesenteric ischemia).
A blood clot can develop in a vein draining deoxygenated blood from your intestines. When the vein is blocked, blood backs up in the intestines, causing swelling and bleeding. This is called mesenteric venous thrombosis, and it may result from:
Factors that may increase your risk of intestinal ischemia include:
Complications of intestinal ischemia can include:
In some cases, intestinal ischemia is fatal.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.
Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.
A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. “Mayo,” “Mayo Clinic,” “MayoClinic.org,” “Mayo Clinic Healthy Living,” and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.
Intestinal ischemia
Research & References of Intestinal ischemia|A&C Accounting And Tax Services
Source
0 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks