Gastroenterology: what is it?
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the organs of the digestive system (esophagus, stomach, intestines, colon-rectum, liver, biliary tract, and pancreas).
What does a gastroenterologist do?
A gastroenterologist is a physician specialized in gastroenterology who investigates and treats pathologies of the digestive system.
Which pathologies are most commonly treated by a gastroenterologist?
The conditions most frequently treated by a gastroenterologist are functional and inflammatory disorders of both the upper tract (esophagus and stomach) and the lower tract (intestines and colon-rectum). These notably include:
- food allergies
- celiac disease
- colitis
- diarrhea
- dyspepsia
- diverticulitis
- hiatal hernia
- esophagitis
- gastritis
- gastroenteritis
- malabsorption
- gastroesophageal
- reflux disease
- Crohn's disease
- intestinal parasitic infections
- polyposis
- constipation
- ulcers
- liver diseases
- cirrhosis
- pancreatitis
What happens during a gastroenterological consultation?
An initial gastroenterology consultation is primarily focused on collecting the patient's comprehensive medical history, during which no instrumental or diagnostic investigations are performed. Following this initial assessment, the most common investigative procedures include:
- ultrasound scans
- laboratory tests (blood tests, urinalysis, stool parasitology tests, etc.)
- diagnostic and operative endoscopic examinations (gastroscopy, colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy), which allow internal visual inspection (diagnostic endoscopy) of the evaluated organs to assess their anatomy, function, and potential pathologies. Endoscopic procedures also make it possible to collect tissue samples for histological analysis and perform minor interventions under local anesthesia, such as polyp removal (operative endoscopy)
- radiological examinations (digestive tract X-rays, barium enema, CT, MRI scans)
When is a gastroenterology consultation necessary?
A gastroenterology consultation is recommended upon the onset of symptoms involving one or more organs of the digestive system (gastric or epigastric pain, heartburn, abdominal cramps, prolonged constipation, or diarrhea), especially when pain does not resolve spontaneously within a couple of days; if laboratory tests have previously detected anomalies suggesting a gastrointestinal disorder; whenever new symptoms arise related to an existing digestive disease; if managing a chronic digestive condition becomes difficult; or whenever there is a need for a second medical opinion regarding diagnosis and/or disease management.
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