Illness and Digestion...

by **jayson** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:38 pm

One of the question asked on my exam was that...

Relate how long term illness can result in problems with digestion.

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The answer I wrote:

Illness put the body in stree situation where it is trying to fight the invading microbe. During stress, the digestive activities are decreased so the body can focus more energy towards the stimuli. Here the invading microbe is the cause for the illness, and the body will most likely use its energy to destroy the microbes and digestive activites will be less of a prirority. Therefore causing difficulty digesting food.

(reminder this is a final year high school level bio)

by **MrMistery** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 7:49 pm

Your answer is correct, or at least i can't think of a better one

by **Dr.Stein** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:16 am

Maybe I can add a little bit explanation:

When you are suffering an illness, especially because of some chronic infections, you will lose your appetite. Thi is because you will get a fever as a physical response used by our body to increase the body temperature to stop or supress pathogen from rapid proliferating. The side effect of this increasing temperature is on your nervous sytem, the association area on your brain will not function properly as well as taste buds on your tongue. Everythime you try to eat you only taste bitter so you don't like to eat anymore. Also, if the fever is so high, it will make you into unconsciousness.

The body needs an energy to generate heat, and it is obtained from food or storage in our muscle and liver. You can't eat, your storage is less, your body keeps demand energy, the biological clock of the stomach's enzymes release is stated. It means that the acidity of the stomach will increase, this is the beginning of the digestion problem.

That explanation is viewed from physiological aspect. From psychological aspect is like this: when you are suffering illness, you are stressful because you cannot do your daily activities. Besides, your body is also stressful against the infection. This condition will induce certain immune cells to release cytokine e.g. IL-2 that will block the immune system and take effect on nervous system. Your body system will not function properly, the illness is getting worse and your system as well..