Abdominal pain? Bloating? Indigestion? Symptoms like these can be a sign of severe gastrointestinal problems. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
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Gastroenterology is the sub-specialty of Medicine that focuses on function and disorders of esophagus, stomach, small/large intestine, pancreas, gallbladder, liver, and biliary system.
Swallowing difficulties caused by abnormalities of the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. It usually affects 1 in 100,000 people.
Signs and Symptoms
Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease in which the body’s natural defenses attack healthy liver cells. Autoimmune hepatitis is a condition that can lead to inflammation and scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) and eventually liver failure. Autoimmune hepatitis is typically chronic, meaning it can last for years.
Signs and Symptoms
The esophagus is a tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus has it’s normal cells replaced by cells from the intestine. This is a precancerous condition caused by repetitive damage to the esophagus lining.
Signs and Symptoms
When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, the gluten causes damage to the lining of the small intestine. Gluten is a very common protein found in wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats. The body is then not able to absorb nutrients properly. This may lead to malnutrition.
Signs and Symptoms
Scarring of the liver that occurs because of injury or long-term disease usually from alcohol, chronic hepatitis, or chronic bile duct obstruction.
Signs and Symptoms
A colon polyp is an abnormal growth of the tissue in the large bowel (colon). There are different types of colon polyps and not all have the potential to turn into cancer.
Signs and Symptoms
Constipation is defined as infrequent bowel movements, hard to pass stools or straining during bowel movements that is troubling to the individual. Frequency of bowel movements among healthy people varies widely from three bowel movements each day to three bowel movements a week.
Signs and Symptoms
Diarrhea, is derived from the Greek word “to flow through”, and is a common problem for many people. Because the range of normal stools is broad, it is not defined by the number of stools a person passes per day. In general, acute diarrhea is defined as less than 14 days in duration and chronic diarrhea is defined as more than 30 days in duration.
Signs and Symptoms
Alarm Symptoms (require medical attention)
Diffuse esophageal spasm is a disorder pertaining to the contractions of the esophagus and can disrupt normal swallowing ability.
Signs and Symptoms
Small pouches that bulge outward through weak spots in the colon, like an inner tube that pokes through weak places in a tire. Each pouch is called a diverticula. The condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis. About half of all Americans age 60 to 80, and almost everyone over age 80, has diverticulosis. Diverticulitis occurs when the pouches become infected or inflamed.
Signs and Symptoms
Alarm Symptoms (require medical attention)
Dyspepsia means “bad digestion” but is generally used as a label for persistent or recurring upper abdominal pain or discomfort. The term indigestion is often used synonymously with dyspepsia. The pain or discomfort is centered in the upper abdomen and is not accompanied by heartburn or regurgitation (symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease – GERD). Dyspepsia is very common. It affects almost one fourth of people in the United States and affects both men and women equally. Symptoms may occur regularly for months at a time, or occur intermittently with long symptom free intervals.
Signs and Symptoms
A problem swallowing foods or liquids may indicate that you have dysphagia. It is derived from the Greek dys meaning bad or disordered, and phago meaning “eat”. This means it may take more time and effort to move food or liquid from your mouth to your stomach. Difficulty swallowing may also be associated with pain. In some cases you may not be able to swallow.
Signs and Symptoms
Eosinophilic esophagitis is one of many types of esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus). It is not as common as reflux esophagitis, but has many of the same symptoms. It is caused by an abnormal accumulation of eosinophils in the lining of the esophagus (swallowing tube). Eosinophils are a type of blood cell that can be seen in the esophagus. In this condition they are present at an increaseed number. The reason for this increased accumulation is unknown. Often individuals with eosinophilic esophagitis have allergies (asthma, allergic rhinitis, or urticaria and food sensitivity.
Signs and Symptoms
Gastroparesis refers to a delay in emptying of stomach contents into the small intestine. This can be caused by a change in the ability of the nerves to pick up information in the stomach, or the nerves that send information to the stomach telling it to contract or empty. Another cause includes the stomach muscles not being able to contract. This loss of function can be limited to the stomach.
Signs and Symptoms
Foodborne illnesses are caused by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated with bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Harmful chemicals can also cause foodborne illnesses if they have contaminated food during harvesting or processing. Most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and unreported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens, or disease-causing substances in food. Of these people, about 5,000 die.
Signs and Symptoms
When the valve at the end of the esophagus (tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) is too relaxed, it does not prevent stomach acid and food from backing up into the esophagus. This causes irritation and inflammation leading to that burning sensation so many people experience.
Signs and Symptoms
Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the lower portion of the rectum or anus that may be internal (located inside the lower rectum) or external (under the skin around the anus).
Signs and Symptoms
Hepatic encephalopathy is a complication of liver disease that occurs when blood flow bypasses the liver and enters into the rest of the circulation. This unfiltered blood carries high levels of ammonia which enters the brain and affects normal function. This effect on the brain is seen as an altered level of consciousness, altered intellectual function or changes in personality/behavior. Muscle and reflex abnormalities are also present. These changes can range from mild to severe and can lead to coma and death.
Signs and Symptoms
Hepatitis C is the most common blood-borne infection in the U.S. Approximately 2.7 million Americans are infected. Transmission of the virus occurs through contaminated blood through such activities as blood transfusion before 1991, intravenous drug use, occupational exposure, sexual contact, and possibly intra-nasal drug use, tattoos or body piercings.
Signs and Symptoms
A hiatal hernia occurs when the top portion of the stomach pushes through a weakened opening in the diaphragm where the food pipe (esophagus) joins your stomach (called the hiatal opening).
Signs and Symptoms
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of disorders that includes Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Signs and Symptoms
Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is a condition associated with symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel function (constipation, diarrhea, or alternating pattern of constipation and diarrhea). Doctors call IBS a functional disorder. This means there is not a structural abnormality in the bowel. Instead it is a problem with the way the bowels work.
Signs and Symptoms
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the major sugar found in milk and dairy products. Fructose intolerance occurs when the body cannot readily digest fructose. Symptoms begin about 30 minutes after eating or drinking foods that contain Lactose or Fructose.
Signs and Symptoms
Microscopic colitis includes collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. It is characterized by chronic diarrhea caused by inflammation in the colon. They are not related to Crohns disease or Ulcerative colitis. These conditions are not life-threatening and there is no increased risk of cancer.
Signs and Symptoms
Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an inflammation of the bile ducts in the liver. This inflammation destroys these bile ducts. This can gradually damage the liver itself.
Signs and Symptoms
PSC is a chronic disease that damages the bile ducts of the liver. Inflammation and scarring cause the bile ducts to become blocked. The blockage causes bile to accumulate in the liver which may lead to scarring or damage of the liver cells.
Signs and Symptoms
Wilson’s disease is a rare inherited disorder that causes excess copper accumulation in the body. This may lead to damage of the liver, brain, kidneys, eyes, and other organs.
Signs and Symptoms
Colonoscopies
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Colonoscopy Preparation
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Bloating
Click to read information about bloating and gas.
Diarrhea
Click to read information about diarrhea.
Hepatitis C
Click to read information about Hepatitis C.
