Intestinal villi is one of the extremely important elements of the digestive system, which is responsible for the absorption of nutrients from food. Learn about the structure, functions and possible diseases of the intestinal villi.
Contents:
- Intestinal villi - structure
- Intestinal villi - features
- Intestinal knots - diseases
The intestinal villiare the part of the small intestine that is responsible for the absorption and digestion of nutrients, mainly proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The intestinal villi play one of the main roles in this process.
Intestinal villi - structure
The intestinal villi are finger-like projections that cover the entire inner surface of the mucosa of the small intestine. The villi of the small intestine is 0.3 to 1.5 mm long, and there are 10 to 40 of them per square millimeter of the intestine.
A he althy person has about 10 million villi. This increases the surface area of the small intestine almost 23 times. As a result, the absorbent area of the small intestine reaches the dimensions of 200 square meters.
Each villi has blood and lymph vessels, thanks to which the nutrients are absorbed by the villi into the circulation. The villi epithelial tissue is the capillary epithelial tissue. The hairs in the epithelium are microvilli which additionally increase the absorbent surface of the entire small intestine.
The microvilli are located on the edges of the villi and their shape resembles limbs. The limbs of the intestinal villi, i.e. the brush strips, secrete digestive enzymes:
- sugar (sucrose)
- gluten (gliadynaza)
- lactose (lactase)
When intestinal limbs are missing or damaged, enzyme deficiencies and absorption problems occur.
Intestinal villi - features
The main task of the intestinal villi is to increase the area of absorption. The intestinal villi are strongly innervated and occur in a single-layer cylindrical epithelium. The nutrients are absorbed by the intestinal villi into the blood, but before reaching the general bloodstream, they are directed through the portal vein to the liver.
Intestinal villi - diseases
The improper functioning of the intestinal villi leads to malabsorption, nutrient deficiencies in the body and malnutrition. The destruction of the intestinal villi is calledflattening.
One of the diseases that destroy the intestinal villi is celiac disease, also called celiac disease or gluten enteropathy. The last name comes from the fact that the patient's body does not tolerate gluten.
You don't outgrow celiac disease (unlike food allergies that can pass with age). Celiac disease is possibly a genetic condition. Accompanied by:
- diarrhea
- flatulence
- stomach pains
as well as various ailments seemingly unrelated to the digestive system:
- anemia
- bone and joint pain
- puffiness
- muscle wasting
- epilepsy
- no periods
- impotence
There is no cure for celiac disease. Ailments can only be alleviated by a gluten-free diet for the rest of your life.
Partial atrophy of intestinal villi accompanies the syndrome of bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. The disease can be caused by:
- intestinal anatomy
- intestinal motility disorders
- incorrect pH of gastric juice
- decreased immunity of the organism
- irritable bowel syndrome
- old age
Symptoms of the disease include:
- stomach pains
- flatulence
- diarrhea
- weight loss
- vitamin D and vitamin A deficiencies
- decreased immunity
Short bowel syndrome: what is this disease about?
Straining the intestine: what is it?
Bowel diseases: what are the most common?
About the author
Anna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.