Intestinal Obstruction – Symptoms and Causes
Understanding Intestinal Blockages
The small intestine and colon work together as key parts of your digestive system. These organs process food and absorb nutrients. Whatever isn’t absorbed moves through your digestive tract and leaves your body as stool during bowel movements.
Intestinal obstruction happens when something blocks food or liquid from passing through either your small intestine or colon. This is serious. Without treatment, blocked sections of the intestine can die, causing major complications.
The good news is that with quick medical attention, doctors can often treat intestinal blockages successfully.
Medical Options
These may include:
- Conservative management – IV fluids, bowel rest
- Medication options – To reduce inflammation
- Surgical interventions – When necessary to remove blockages
Treatment depends on the blockage location, cause, and severity.
Signs of Intestinal Blockage
People with intestinal blockage often have stomach pain that comes and goes. They may not feel hungry and can’t have bowel movements or pass gas.
Other common signs include:
- Throwing up
- Feeling constipated
- Swollen or puffy belly
These symptoms may start slowly and get worse over time.
When to See a Doctor
If you have severe stomach pain or other signs of a blocked intestine, get medical help right away. A blocked intestine can lead to serious health problems if not treated quickly. Don’t wait to see if symptoms improve on their own.
Why Bowel Blockages Happen
When Intestines Telescope
Intussusception occurs when one part of the intestine slides into another part, like a telescope. This condition is rare but serious. It happens most often in children, making it the most common cause of intestinal blockage in young patients.
Telescoping creates a blockage that prevents food and fluid from passing through. It can also reduce blood flow to the affected area, causing damage to the intestinal tissue.
When Muscles Stop Working Properly
Pseudo-obstruction happens when the intestines appear blocked, but no physical barrier exists. Instead, the muscles or nerves in the digestive tract don’t work correctly. This disrupts normal muscle contractions that move food through the intestines.
Several things can cause this condition:
- Surgery: Operations in the abdomen or pelvis.
- Infections: Various types of infections affect the body.
- Medications: Especially opioid pain relievers and some antidepressants.
- Nerve and Muscle Disorders: Conditions like Parkinson’s disease.
In adults, the most common causes of actual intestinal blockages include:
- Adhesions: Bands of scar tissue that form after surgery.
- Hernias: Parts of the intestine pushing through muscle walls.
- Colon Cancer: Tumors blocking the intestinal passage.
Other potential causes include:
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
- Diverticulitis (inflamed pouches in the digestive tract)
- Volvulus (twisted colon)
- Severely Impacted Stool
Risk Factors
Several health issues can raise your chance of getting an intestinal blockage:
- Adhesions often form after surgery in the belly or pelvic area.
- Crohn’s disease can make intestinal walls thicker, creating narrow passages.
- Cancer is located in the abdominal region.
These conditions may prevent normal food and waste movement through your digestive system, leading to a blockage.
Complications
Intestinal obstruction can lead to dangerous, even deadly complications if left untreated.
Tissue Death
When the intestine’s blood supply gets cut off due to an obstruction, parts of the intestinal wall may die. This lack of blood flow damages the tissue and can create tears (perforations) in the wall of the intestine.
Infection Risk
If a tear occurs in the intestinal wall, contents from the intestine can leak into the abdominal cavity. This causes peritonitis, a serious infection that requires immediate medical attention and often surgery.
