Gastroenterology is a special discipline that studies the structure, physiology and pathology of the digestive system, as well as issues of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive system. Within gastroenterology there are narrower sections: for example, liver and gallbladder diseases are studied by hepatology, pathology of the large intestine and pararectal space – proctology. The state of the endocrine system, the oral cavity, and the presence of infectious agents in the body have a great influence on the normal activity of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
The digestive system includes a set of many organs and glands that provide the nutrients necessary for the body to develop and function. It permeates almost the entire body, starting with the oral cavity and ending with the rectum. Therefore, the pathology of even one of the digestive organs entails a disorder of the functioning of the digestive system as a whole. Modern ecology, stress, new foods and supplements, as well as medications cause the occurrence or exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Diseases of the digestive system are so common that every person meets with their manifestations at least once in their life. Among the diseases of the digestive tract, the undisputed leaders are inflammatory processes of its various departments that have an acute or chronic course: inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis), stomach (gastritis), duodenum (duodenitis), liver (hepatitis), pancreas (pancreatitis), gallbladder and ducts (cholecystitis and cholangitis), small and large intestines (enteritis and colitis), rectum (proctitis). They, in turn, cause changes in the mucous membrane of organs, their motor function and lead to ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, cholelithiasis, ulcerative colitis. A serious problem of modern society is intestinal dysbiosis, which occurs in the vast majority of people, including newborn children.
Diseases of the stomach, pancreas, intestines often serve as the root cause of many diseases of the skin and metabolism. The symptoms of diseases of the digestive system are very diverse and depend on the affected organ. Common manifestations are impaired appetite, abdominal pain, belching, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, stool disorder, weakness, weight loss.
Modern gastroenterology has great diagnostic capabilities that allow us to recognize diseases of the digestive system already at the early stages of occurrence. Laboratory tests include blood tests, gastric and duodenal juice, feces, intestinal microflora, tissue samples taken during biopsy. X-ray and endoscopic methods (esophagoscopy, colonoscopy, gastroduodenoscopy, etc.) are used to examine the hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract, ultrasound diagnostics are used for parenchymal. Many chronic diseases of the digestive system, which subsequently require surgical intervention, are caused by neglect or undertreatment of an acute condition. Therefore, the occurrence of any pathological manifestation in the digestive system should serve as a signal to immediately contact a specialist gastroenterologist. In the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, the patient will be required to strictly follow the treatment regimen and diet.
Intestinal candidiasis is an infectious lesion of the digestive tract caused by the patient’s own fungal flora (Candida spp.) against the background of a significant weakening of immunity. Clinical manifestations of intestinal candidiasis vary depending on the form of the disease: dilution of stool, increased flatulence, unspecified abdominal pain, ulcerative colitis and fungal sepsis. The…
Calculous cholecystitis is an inflammation of the gallbladder wall that has arisen against the background of cholelithiasis. It is manifested by biliary colic or dull pains in the right hypochondrium, dyspepsia, intoxication, jaundice. It is diagnosed by ultrasound, dynamic scintigraphy of the hepatobiliary system, survey radiography and MSCT of the abdominal cavity, retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Myotropic…
Ileitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the ileum (distal small intestine). It is manifested by dyspeptic disorders, abdominal pain, fever to subfebrile numbers, weakness and malaise. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct a general blood test, bacteriological and clinical stool tests, an X-ray examination of the intestine with contrast. Bacterial…
Retroperitoneal abscess is a separate cavity in the retroperitoneal space filled with purulent exudate. Manifestations depend on the localization and prevalence of the pathological process. Common signs are malaise, nausea, fever. There are pains on the side of the purulent lesion with irradiation into the spine, shoulder blade, hip joint. Diagnosis is based on examination…
Fatty liver disease is a secondary or independent pathological syndrome characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver tissue. The cause of the development of this condition is alcohol consumption; diseases accompanied by metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, thyroid pathology, malabsorption, and others), as well as taking certain medications. Fatty liver disease has no specific…
Biliary peritonitis is a severe inflammatory disease of the peritoneum caused by the entry of bile into the abdominal cavity. Clinical manifestations develop rapidly: there is acute intense pain in the right hypochondrium, vomiting, bloating, hypotension and tachycardia, symptoms of intoxication increase. The general condition of the patient worsens up to a violation of consciousness…
Cholelithiasis is a disease accompanied by the formation of gallstones in the gallbladder (cholecystolithiasis) or in the bile ducts (choledocholithiasis). Stones are formed as a result of precipitation of bile pigments, cholesterol, certain types of proteins, calcium salts, infection of bile, its stagnation, lipid metabolism disorders. The disease may be accompanied by pain in the…
Gastrointestinal bleeding is the outflow of blood from the blood vessels eroded or damaged by the pathological process into the lumen of the digestive organs. Depending on the degree of blood loss and the localization of the source of bleeding, vomiting of the color of “coffee grounds”, tar-like stools (melena), weakness, tachycardia, dizziness, pallor, cold…
Duodenoastric reflux is the throwing of the contents of the duodenum into the stomach cavity. As an independent disease is rare, it is much more often a symptom of another pathology of the gastrointestinal tract. It is manifested by pain and dyspeptic syndromes: there are indefinite diffuse abdominal pains, heartburn, belching, nausea, vomiting, yellowish plaque…
Duodenitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the duodenum. With lesions of the upper parts, the symptoms of the disease resemble stomach ulcers, duodenitis of the lower parts causes symptoms similar to pancreatitis or cholecystitis. The disease is accompanied by general weakness, pain in the stomach, heartburn, belching, nausea, vomiting. Acute inflammation with…
