What is Gastroenterology? Complete Guide

Gastroenterology is an area of medicines, which is used for any problem related to the digestive system.

According to the American College of Gastroenterology, it is the study of normal functions and diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts, and liver.

A doctor who is specialized in the above-mentioned organs is called Gastroenterologist. They must have a detailed understanding and knowledge about all the organs and their functions.

They should also have a detailed understanding of motility through the intestines and gastrointestinal tract in order to maintain healthy digestion, absorption of nutrients, removal of waste and metabolic process.

Things about gastrointestinal system

They should know very clearly about all the things or ailments that affect the gastrointestinal system. Those ailments are:

1. Peptic ulcer disease
2. Gastric cancer
3. Esophageal cancer
4. Achalasia
5. Barrett’s esophagus
6. Colon polyps
7. Colon and bowel cancer
8. Pancreatitis
9. Pancreatic cancer
10. Cholecystitis
11. Biliary tract diseases
12. Gallbladder stones and cancer
13. Hepatitis
14. Gastroesophageal reflux
15. Colitis
16. Nutritional problems and malabsorption
17. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
18. A host of other disease condition

In this test, the Gi Doctor Redding performs endoscopic procedures and they don’t do surgery. They use instruments or equipment which are specialized to look inside the GI tract and diagnose it. There are many symptoms, which show that there is a need for this test. Some symptoms are:

1. Heartburn
2. Gallstones
3. Lactose intolerance
4. Celiac disease
5. Inflammatory bowel disease
6. Colon cancer screening

Procedure

In this test, the doctors firstly check the patient’s weight, blood pressure level, and heartbeat rate and even they ask about medical history or any allergies. Then they also do lab tests, blood work, x-rays, motility tests, and endoscopic procedures. There are two types of procedures used in this test i.e. Upper Endoscopy and Colonoscopy.

If the doctor has the equipment used in this test, then he does the test the same day. But if he does not have the required equipment then he provides another suitable date for the test. The whole visit takes around 30 min to an hour. If there are many tests to be done, then it can take more time.

There is some risk while doing the Gastroenterology test. If an endoscopic procedure is done then there can be some risk and complications like:

Infection

There is a low risk of any infection, but if the patient gets any GI infection he is given antibiotics. Sometimes doctors give the patient the antibiotics prior to the procedure to lower the risk of infection.

Bleeding

There is a risk of bleeding while any endoscopy is done for biopsy purposes. If any tissue is taken out from the GI tract, then it can bleed. Sometimes it bleeds a lot, so in such worst-case blood transfusion is done to treat the condition.

Perforation of the GI tract

There is a risk of tearing of the GI tract while doing the endoscopy. There is a treatment of this condition that is surgery. The risk of tearing is very small.

Over the years, as science has improved the benefits of Gastroenterology have also increased. Technologies also improved by reducing the risk of complications.

So if you are finding the Gi Specialist Redding, then go for Dr. Paramvir Singh. He is the best Gastro specialist in Redding.