7.2 Basics Concepts of the Gastrointestinal System
Prior to discussing specific GI disorders and associated medication classes, it is important to have a clear understanding of the anatomy the gastrointestinal system.
Review of Anatomy of the Gastrointestinal System
It is important to know the basic anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal system to understand how gastrointestinal (GI) medications work. See Figure 7.1[1] for an illustration of the anatomical components of the GI system. There are a variety of medications used to treat common GI disorders, so this chapter’s content is divided into three subsections discussing medications classes treating common disorders: antiulcer, antidiarrheals/laxatives, and antiemetics. Each subsection will further review the GI anatomy and physiology related to these conditions and medications.
For additional details related to the content in this chapter, review information in OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology using the areas noted below[2]:
Overview of the Digestive System
Digestive System Processes and Regulation
See the following supplementary YouTube videos to review the gastrointestinal system and digestive processes.
Gastrointestinal System Review[3]
Ted Ed Review of Digestive System[4]
Khan Academy Review of GI System[5]
- “Components of the Digestive System” by CNX OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/23-1-overview-of-the-digestive-system ↵
- This work is a derivative of Anatomy and Physiology by OpenStax licensed under CC BY 4.0. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-introduction ↵
- Forciea, B. (2015, March 18). Anatomy and physiology of the digestive system [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. Video used with permission. https://youtu.be/1ssJV-EpfiQ ↵
- Bryce, E. (2017, December 14). How your digestive system works [YouTube]. All rights reserved. https://youtu.be/Og5xAdC8EUI ↵
- “Meet the Gastrointestinal Tract!” by Raja Narayan is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 ↵