Gastroenterologist - Who Is He And What Treats? Appointment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Gastroenterologist

A gastroenterologist is a doctor who diagnoses, treats and prevents diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Most often, diseases of the digestive system are first detected by either therapists or pediatricians, since it is to them that people turn to with a wide variety of complaints. The following symptoms may become a reason for referral to a gastroenterologist: disturbances in the process of digestion and painful sensations in the abdomen.

Leave a request "make an appointment" and within a few minutes we will find an experienced doctor near you, and the price will be lower than when contacting the clinic directly. Or choose a doctor yourself by clicking on the "Find a Doctor" button. Find a doctor

Content:

• What does a gastroenterologist treat?
• How does a gastroenterologist treat?
• Gastroenterologist appointment: when to visit this specialist?
• Gastroenterologist: the diseases he deals with
• Visit to a gastroenterologist
• Appointment to a gastroenterologist

What does a gastroenterologist treat?

A doctor who has received a specialty gastroenterologist deals with the treatment of all organs that are involved in one way or another in the process of digesting food and are responsible for the absorption of nutrients that have entered the human body with it.

At this point in time, the gastroenterologist is a doctor in great demand.

However, this is not surprising, since a narrow specialist deals with the treatment of all known diseases, including:

• Any pathology of the stomach: ulcer, gastritis, polypous growths, oncology.
• Multiple pathologies of the gallbladder: decreased mobility and impaired patency of the biliary tract (dyskinesia), pronounced and extensive inflammation of the organ, which affects the process of food digestion (cholecystitis). Do not delay contacting a gastroenterologist if there are signs of dyskinesia. This disease is of a somatic nature and can not only cause disturbances in the process of digesting food, but completely stop it. As a result, a person's health condition deteriorates sharply.
• Spleen pathology. The doctor is able to identify and conduct adequate therapy for cysts and tumors of the organ, spleen abscess and other disorders in its work.
• Pancreatic pathology. First of all, this is an organ inflammation - pancreatitis. (See also: how does pancreatitis manifest? What to do in case of an attack?) They accumulate in the diseased organ and begin to destroy it. If this process is left without treatment, then from the acute phase it will pass into the chronic one and completely destroy the diseased gland.
• Bowel pathology. In this case, colitis (the process of inflammation of the large intestine), duodenitis (the duodenum is involved in inflammation), dysbiosis, which are formed as a result of the failure of the human intestinal flora, come to the fore. In addition, the doctor helps to get rid of parasite infestation, enterocolitis and other intestinal problems.

The consequences of not referring to a specialist of a narrow profile can be quite serious, up to the development of oncological conditions and the death of the patient. The fact is that all of the above diseases are severe, since the digestive organs are involved in them. Lack of therapy or an incomplete treatment process - all this leads to the growth of polyposis formations and to cancerous tumors.

How does a gastroenterologist treat?

First, the doctor must give the patient the correct diagnosis. To do this, the patient will need to be examined by a gastroenterologist, after which the doctor will prescribe the delivery of tests, possibly a number of instrumental studies. When all the results are received, the doctor will be able to accurately answer the patient what kind of disease he has and what are its causes. Finally, the patient is prescribed adequate treatment.

The specific therapeutic regimen will depend on what pathology is detected in the patient, what is the specificity of his problem and what is the severity of the course of the disease. The doctor may recommend to undergo a course of drug treatment, phytotherapy courses, as needed, an individual nutritional regimen is developed, recommendations are given regarding lifestyle, etc. In addition, the doctor may recommend a surgical intervention to the patient, after which a recovery program will be drawn up.

Gastroenterologist appointment: when to visit this specialist?

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract are relevant for most people, therefore, a gastroenterologist is the specialist who is able to provide assistance to both infants (for example, with dysbiosis, which is so common among children) and elderly patients (for example, with chronic constipation). In addition, the category of patients of adolescence and reproductive age also make up a considerable part of the visitors to the doctor of this specialty. Someone needs consultation, and someone needs treatment.

People go to the doctor, depending on the individual threshold of pain sensitivity. Some may experience symptoms of gastrointestinal disturbance for a long time, despite the fact that they change their quality of life for the worse, and some, if even a slight feeling of discomfort appears, they go for a consultation. Of course, the bulk of patients are those people who come to an appointment with obvious symptoms of the disease, which they are no longer able to tolerate. However, attention should be paid to the very first signs of gastrointestinal disturbances. That is, with the appearance of pain or heaviness, with regular bloating, as well as with any other discomfort that occurs in the digestive system, it is necessary to seek advice.

More specific symptoms that may be the reason for contacting a gastroenterologist are as follows:

• Bitter taste in the mouth, belching after eating, which also has an unpleasant aftertaste, persistent breath odor; (Read also: Causes and Treatment of Bad Breath)
• The occurrence of heartburn on an ongoing basis (after eating);
• Pain localized in the intestines, hypochondrium or stomach;
• Heaviness in the stomach, which appears before the moment of eating, that is, on an empty stomach and its disappearance after eating, as well as a feeling of nausea;
• Diabetes;
• Stool disorders on an ongoing basis;
• Discoloration of feces, the occurrence of vomiting - these symptoms require immediate medical attention;
• The appearance of skin rashes that do not have an infectious origin, in addition, peeling of the dermis, emerging eczema, and unreasonable deterioration of the hair and nails should become a cause for concern.

In addition, if a person has been using drugs for a long time, has gone through courses of radio or chemotherapy, one should consult a gastroenterologist.

Gastroenterologist: the diseases he deals with

Taking into account the above pathologies, several more diseases can be noted that are within the competence of a doctor of this specialty:

• Toxoplasmosis;
• All types of hepatitis; (Read also: All types of hepatitis)
• Dispancreatism;
• Gynecological pains of the type of adnexitis, etc.;
• Gastritis of any etiology and form;
• Peptic ulcer;
• Infectious mononucleosis;
• Chronic gastrointestinal diseases;
• Nephropathy, glomerunephritis, pyelonephritis, crystalluria;
• Cholelithiasis;
• Urolithiasis disease. (Read also: Causes and Symptoms of Kidney Stones)

If the following organs have undergone pathology, then it is the gastroenterologist who should treat them:

• Liver;
• Esophagus and stomach;
• Intestine - large and small, as well as the duodenum;
• Pancreas;
• The gallbladder and its ducts.

The main diagnostic techniques used by the gastroenterologist in his practice are as follows:

• EGDS;
• Ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity;
• Urography;
• DNA research.

A trip to a gastroenterologist: what happens when it is constantly postponed?

Improper functioning of any part of the digestive system will lead to the fact that food will be absorbed much worse. Over time, this, not too dangerous condition, will lead to the fact that the very process of splitting substances from the food received will be disrupted. The body will begin to accumulate toxic substances, which will lead to its poisoning.

Long-term intoxication becomes the impetus for the development of somatic pathologies. The patient's quality of life is impaired, his appearance suffers, and his performance decreases. As a result, the immune system suffers, which entails serious consequences. If we are talking about a child, then due to long delays in visiting a gastroenterologist, his normal development (mental and physical) may suffer.

In this regard, gastroenterologists strongly recommend that if any problems with the gastrointestinal tract appear, do not attribute them to poor food quality, but seek help in a timely manner. In the event that an unhealthy diet really leads to discomfort, the doctor will give recommendations on how to change your diet so that the digestive system does not suffer from this.