What is Gastroenterology?

In particular, Gastroenterology is the study of the functioning and diseases starting from the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, bile duct, pancreas, gall bladder colon and rectum. It concentrates on the physiology of gastrointestinal organs.

It understands the procedure from engulfing a morsel from the oesophagus, sliding down the stomach and making movements within and intestine, leading to digestion, absorption, and waste removal.

The function of every organ and its importance is considered. The diseases and conditions caused to organs such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Hepatitis, Cancer, Gastrointestinal disorders, intestinal ulcers and pancreatitis and their associated studies come under Gastroenterology.

Thus, Gastroenterology is the comprehensive study of the functioning and abnormalities of the body’s digestive organs.

What is a Gastroenterologist?

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Gastroenterologists or GI Doctors are specialists that provide diagnosis and treatment to gastrointestinal related diseases or abnormalities in your digestive system. They have instruments which are used to diagnose such diseases by performing endoscopic procedures. They do not perform any surgery but may work close to some.

Being a Gastroenterologist, they must understand the physiology of organs and the proper ways the human body functions while performing the actions in the digestive system.

They know ailments that can cause other diseases to the GI Tract organs and lead to their abnormalities.

Some of such diseases are :

●    Pancreatic Disease

●    Peptic Ulcer

●    Liver Disease

●    Heartburn

●    Colitis

●    Pancreatitis

●    Inflammatory Bowels Disease

●    Hepatitis

●    Colon Polyps

●    Gastrointestinal Cancer

●    Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

The above diseases can range from minor to fatal, and the Gastroenterologist will fill you up with the knowledge of diagnostics available and treatment required.

Except for treatment and diagnosis, GI doctors also care for the patients by letting them know the habits to keep the patients’ digestive system healthy. If the patient is 50 year or above, a regular check is necessary as they are most prone to colon cancer.

When Should I Visit a GI Doctor?

When a person feels uneasiness with gut-related daily activities, you must visit a GI Doctor, some of the symptoms and initial diseases are listed below :

●    Continuous Constipation

●    Severe Stomach Pain

●    Regular Diarrhoea

●    Frequent Vomiting

●    Blood in the Stool

●    Yellowish Pale Skin

●    Swallowing causes Pain

Some tests might be required before appointment and then your results will also have some waiting period.A Gastroenterologist may check for specific tests like endoscopy, colonoscopy or an X-Ray of the whole gastrointestinal tract or digestive system.

When you need to perform these tests, there is a specific before after procedure to be followed, the doctor or the nurse present will provide the knowledge.

Procedures in Gastroenterology?

The Gastroenterologist can perform nonsurgical procedures using specialized instruments. These includes :

●    Endoscopic Ultrasound

○    The instruments use ultrasounds to examine the GI tract as a whole.

●    Colonoscopy

○    It is done to examine cancer in the colon and to detect colon polyps.

●    Endoscopy Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography

○    This is done to determine the gallstones, scar tissues and tumours in the bile duct area of the GI tract.

●    Sigmoidoscopy

○    Sigmoidoscopy is used to determine the pain in the bowel or blood loss in the stools.

●    Liver Biopsy

○    It is to determine the inflammation and fibrosis in the liver. A liver specialist analyses the results, and diagnosis/treatment is initiated accordingly.

●    Capsule Endoscopy

○    It is used to examine the small intestine.

●    Double Balloon Enteroscopy

○    It also scans through the small intestine, thereby examining it.

Gastroenterology is something which requires advanced training and comprehensive knowledge of the Gastrointestinal Tract. The skill of providing high-quality endoscopy and other consultation services.

Gastroenterologists go through strict training which makes it unique compared to other medical studies. The involvement of endoscopy procedure knowledge and ample research has made them experts in the field.

Here they learn to provide a high-quality service to the patients with care. They provide more accurate results, complete diagnosis and lesser complications from procedures.