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.
Anorexia is a mental disorder that belongs to the group of eating disorders, characterized by non–acceptance of the body image, refusal of food, the creation of obstacles to its assimilation and stimulation of metabolism in order to reduce weight. The main symptoms are avoidance of eating, limiting portions, exhausting physical exercises, taking drugs that reduce…
Angiosarcoma of the liver is a rare form of malignant vascular tumor originating from endothelial cells. The course of disease is characterized by abdominal pain, weight loss, weakness, jaundice of the skin and mucous membranes, the phenomena of hepatomegaly, ascites. Pathology is diagnosed by ultrasound, CT, MRI of the liver, based on biopsy and diagnostic…
Amoebic liver abscess is an accumulation of purulent exudate in the liver separated from the surrounding tissues due to the pathogenic effects of dysentery amoeba, The pathology manifests itself in pain in the right hypochondrium of varying intensity, hepatomegaly, fever, chills, sweating, jaundice of the skin and sclera, nausea and vomiting. Diagnosis is based on…
Allergic gastritis is a clinical variant of food allergy, the main manifestations of which are symptoms of stomach damage. This condition may be the first manifestation of an allergic disease that develops when an antigen enters the stomach directly. It is often combined with intestinal damage and occurs in the form of gastrointestinal allergies, more…
Alcoholic cirrhosis is a pathological process accompanied by the death of hepatocytes and their replacement by connective fibrous tissue due to prolonged use of alcoholic beverages. It is manifested by asthenia, exhaustion and dyspeptic symptoms, enlarged liver and jaundice of the skin, signs of liver failure, portal hypertension, toxic encephalopathy. For diagnosis, a study of the…
Alcoholic pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas induced by alcohol intake. It can occur both against the background of chronic alcoholism, and with a single use of alcohol or its surrogates together with fatty high-calorie foods. At the same time, there are severe shingles in the upper abdomen, nausea and vomiting, fever, diarrhea. The…
Alcoholic hepatitis is pathological changes in the liver, characterized by signs of inflammation, fatty degeneration, fibrosis, the cause of which is the toxic effect of alcohol metabolites on the organ. With the continuation of the etiological factor, liver changes turn into cirrhosis – irreversible damage. The severity of the disease is determined by both the…
Alcoholic gastritis is an acute or chronic inflammatory and destructive disease of the stomach resulting from the abuse of alcoholic beverages. It is manifested by pain in the epigastric region, vomiting, changes in appetite. Diagnosis is based on anamnestic data, instrumental (mainly endoscopic) and laboratory research methods. Treatment consists in the complete rejection of alcohol…
Alcoholic liver disease is a structural degeneration and impaired liver function caused by systematic prolonged alcohol consumption. Patients with alcoholic liver disease have decreased appetite, dull pains in the right hypochondrium, nausea, diarrhea, jaundice; cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy develop in the late stage. The diagnosis is facilitated by ultrasound, Dopplerography, scintigraphy, liver biopsy, and the…
Nutritional marasmus is a disease characterized by severe protein and more often more pronounced energy deficiency. The manifestations can be very different, the main ones are body weight loss of more than 20% (or a BMI of less than 16), dry and flabby skin, brittle hair and nails, lethargy, drowsiness and weakness, increased appetite. Diagnosis…
