Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system. It can affect any part of the gut, from the mouth to the anus, but most commonly affects the lower part of the small intestine (ileum) and the large intestine (colon). Crohn’s disease is one of the two main types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), along with ulcerative colitis.

Constipation can happen to anyone from time to time. It’s when you have to strain to open your bowels or you go for a poo less often. This is usually less than three times a week, and stool can become hard and difficult to pass. Other symptoms include: bloating tummy pain nausea loss of appetite There are a number of causes of constipation, including poor diet, lack of activity, age, medical conditions, and more. We cover these in more detail later on. Constipation is a very common problem and doesn’t usually point to a serious cause, although certain health conditions can make you more prone. You can take action yourself to address diet and activity levels, or try some gentle medications to soften stool up and move it along. Constipation can feel uncomfortable, and may cause complications such as: haemorrhoids (also known as piles) anal fissures, which are small tears in the anus faecal impaction, where hard dry stool collects in the rectum overflow diarrhoea and possibly leakage It’s important to address constipation early on before problems build up. We’ll talk you through likely triggers, how to address them, and medications and remedies you can try to get things moving along.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition where you react to eating gluten. Gluten provokes an immune response, causing damage to the bowel and causing tummy pain, bloating and other symptoms. Along with ongoing symptoms, if you keep eating gluten, this can have long-term implications such as anaemia and osteoporosis as you will have difficulty absorbing essential nutrients.

Cancer occurs when cells in our body multiply out of control, producing lots of abnormal cells. These abnormal cells don't function like they should, and can invade tissues or organs, and can sometimes spread to other parts of the body. Bowel cancer is also known as colorectal cancer, and it includes cancer of the colon (which is the large intestine) and cancer of the rectum (which is the last few inches of the large intestine before it turns into the anus). It is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, affecting both men and women, and is more likely as we age. There are certain genetic and lifestyle factors that can increase your risk - we'll talk you through them. Symptoms of bowel cancer include: blood in the poo, a change in your bowel habits for more than a few weeks, tending towards diarrhoea but may also tend towards constipation too. Another symptom may be abdominal pain or discomfort and bloating. It is important to note that most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer, but if they persist, occur in older individuals, or occur with symptoms like loss of appetite, fatigue and unintentional weight loss - this should be discussed with a doctor urgently. As bowel cancer is more common in those aged 60 and over, the UK has a bowel cancer screening programme. Those between 60 and 74 years old will be automatically sent a bowel cancer screening test every two years. If you are 75 and over, you can ask for a free test kit every two years. Using the kit you get a small sample of poo and send it off to be tested for blood, which can be a symptom of bowel cancer, but also other conditions. If blood is found, you will be invited for further tests to find the cause, including bowel cancer. If caught early, bowel cancer can be cured. There is evidence that you can reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer by eating a high-fibre diet, with lots of fruit and veg and avoiding processed foods. You should avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake to lower risk, and keep fit and maintain a healthy weight.

The bladder is the pouch that stores urine before you pee it out. Cancer cells can grow in the inner lining of the bladder and spread to involve the muscle walls and other structures. Bladder cancer is relatively common in the UK, affecting older adults and men more than women. It’s usually surgically treated, with chemotherapy and radiotherapy alongside, depending on both the tumour and the health of the person it affects. But both the cancer and effects of treatment can have a lasting impact on someone’s quality of life and emotional well-being.

The appendix is a tiny pouch from your large intestine, and it's likely to be a remnant from our very distant ancestors. Although it’s often thought to not serve any function to us now it may in fact be helpful as a reservoir of healthy gut bacteria. It’s found in the bottom right hand quarter of your abdomen is usually around 5-10cm long. It can cause problems if it becomes inflamed and infected, in a condition called appendicitis. This can make us very unwell unless treated. It can happen at any age but is most common in people aged between 10 and 20. It seems that if you have your appendix removed you have no long-term health consequences from this and about 1 in 7 people get appendicitis at some time in their life.

Cancer occurs when cells in our body multiply out of control, producing lots of abnormal cells. These abnormal cells don't function like the cell should and can invade tissues or organs and can sometimes spread to other parts of the body. Anal cancer is cancer that is in the anus, which is the last few centimetres of the bowel and connects the bowel to the outside of the body (the last part your stool passes through the anus when you go for a poo). It isn’t a common cancer – it causes less than 1% of all cancers - but HPV (human papillomavirus) infection increases your risk of developing anal cancer. HPV is a virus passed on through sexual intercourse. Most people will be infected with HPV infection in their lifetime and the majority will not develop anal cancer. Both HPV infection and anal cancer are more common in people who have anal sex with a lot of different partners, those who smoke, those with a lowered immune system, or those who have had cervical, vulval or vaginal cancer. The most common symptoms of anal cancer are bleeding, pain, itching, discharge and faecal incontinence (losing the ability to control when you poo). There are many more common causes of bleeding, pain and itching symptoms that are not anal cancer, so please don’t be worried if you have symptoms but always get them checked out. We should be clear - anal cancer is rare. More subtle signs of cancer can be unexplained tiredness or loss of weight, night sweats or pain in your bones.

Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid rises up from the stomach, burning the sensitive lining of your oesophagus (foodpipe). It may reach the throat, giving you an unpleasant bitter taste in the mouth and possibly causing halitosis (bad breath). Burping, bloating, nausea, a long-standing dry cough and pain on swallowing hot drinks can all be additional signs of acid reflux. Most report symptoms are worse on lying down for 20 to 30 minutes after a meal. It can feel quite uncomfortable – it’s known as heartburn for good reason, and pain can be so severe that some people think they are having a heart attack. When you swallow, food passes from the mouth and throat to the oesophagus and on to the stomach, which produces acid to digest the food. Movement shouldn't occur the opposite way, and a one-way valve (the oesophageal sphincter) protects the oesophagus from this. The oesophagus becomes irritated if it's exposed to acid. The sphincter may not function properly for a number of reasons, which can be as simple as bending over causing increased pressure in the stomach and forcing movement through the sphincter the wrong way, or your stomach may be producing too much acid. Acid reflux – also known as dyspepsia, indigestion, heartburn or gastro-oesophageal reflux – is very common and most people experience it in their lifetime. In most cases it's mild and it resolves on its own or can be treated at home. Here at Healthwords, we like to help ease your symptoms, and we can talk you through treatment options, but we believe that prevention is always better than cure, so by understanding some of the triggers, hopefully, this will avoid you suffering severe symptoms. One of the complications of acid reflux in the long term is damage to the oesophagus in a condition known as GORD, and you may be at risk of ulcers. It can also cause permanent changes to the oesophagus lining, called Barrett’s oesophagus – this puts you at slightly higher risk of oesophageal cancer.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often associated with women, but they can also significantly impact men, especially as they age. UTIs occur when bacteria infect any part of the urinary system, including the urethra, bladder, ureters, or kidneys. Understanding UTIs in men is crucial because their symptoms and underlying causes can differ from those in women. Men’s unique anatomical structures and potential complications, such as prostate issues, make the presentation and management of UTIs distinct. This article will explore the causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of UTIs in men. We'll delve into why men are affected differently, the specific symptoms they may experience, and the diagnostic tests typically used to identify these infections. Additionally, we'll discuss effective treatment options and strategies for preventing UTIs to help men manage and reduce their risk of these infections.

Haemorrhoids are common and many refer to them as piles. They are enlarged blood vessels just inside or outside the anus, and they look like small red or purple lumps. You might find blood after you go for a poo (this will be bright red blood, and seen on wiping or on the stool), or you can get pain and itching around the anus. For the majority of people, they cause no symptoms at all. Sometimes haemorrhoids can become thrombosed, which means they have no blood flow due to a blood clot. These are very painful and tender to touch. Haemorrhoids are not contagious, and cannot be passed on.

Diverticulitis is a condition where parts of the bowel get inflamed or infected. The bowel is a muscular tube with a smooth wall that stool (poo) can pass along easily, helped by contractions of the gut muscles. As we age, our bowel can develop small outpouchings which are known as diverticula, and we think this is likely to be due to not eating enough fibre in our diet. Diverticula are very common and become more common with increasing age. This means that in the UK, about half of all people have at least one large bowel diverticula by the age of 50, and by the age of 80, about 7 in 10 of people have them. Around three-quarters of people with diverticula have no symptoms, and they cause no harm. However, if these pockets get inflamed or infected – typically because of poo becoming trapped in them - this is known as diverticulitis and about 1 in 5 of people with diverticula will experience this at some time. People with a sudden flare of diverticulitis will suffer from constant abdominal pain, usually in the left lower side, that comes and goes but is usually worse after eating, and gets better after passing wind or stool. Other symptoms include constipation or diarrhoea, mucus or blood in the stool, and a fever. You can become quite ill. Diverticulitis is diagnosed by your doctor after examining you, or from what is seen on either a CT scan or a colonoscopy (a camera placed inside the back passage). Occasionally, if you have no relevant symptoms or only mild tummy pain and occasional bleeding from the back passage, diverticula may be seen as an incidental finding if you have a scan for another reason, and this is of little significance.

Gallbladder cancer is a rare malignancy that originates in the tissue lining of the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small organ located beneath the liver, responsible for storing bile: a fluid produced by the liver to aid in digesting fatty foods. Although gallbladder cancer is uncommon, it can have serious consequences if not detected and managed promptly.