We met with a gastroenterologist Yurieva Anna Evgenievna to discuss topical issues about the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
Many people today have at least some stomach ache. We figure out how to deal with it, what it can be and how to go to an appointment correctly.
What if the stomach hurts?
Come to an appointment with a specialist. In fact, what we often think of as stomach pain is often a symptom of other diseases: cardiac pain, myocardial infarction, pancreatitis with abdominal syndrome, ischemic colitis. Today, these diseases are common, including among young people. Absolutely, you should not self-medicate, because it may turn out that you are not treating something that really hurts.
Has it ached, pulled and passed, is it necessary to see a doctor?
Any pain is a symptom of anxiety (pathology). Therefore, the examination is still worth it. There are diseases that often do not manifest themselves symptomatically. For example, the accumulation of suspension in the gallbladder. In this disease, symptoms come and occur in stressful situations, when eating certain foods that contain a large amount of fat.
For this reason, it is easy to ignore the disease, and after a year, the patient has gallstones, although this could have been avoided.
What is functional dyspepsia?
These are pains similar to pain in gastritis, but without morphological confirmation. They are caused by spasms.
Functional dyspepsia is usually treated with antispasmodics and drugs that normalize the emotional state. In most cases, this disease is psychosomatic. For this reason, the gastroenterologist often works in tandem with a neuropsychiatrist.
Can gastritis be diagnosed without a biopsy?
Any gastritis delivered without morphological confirmation is considered unconfirmed. To prescribe treatment, it is necessary to determine the cause of gastritis.
Are gastritis and cancer related?
Helicobacter-associated gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach, due to which the cells of the gastric mucosa are eventually replaced by intestinal cells. This increases the risk of cancer. In rare cases, with proper long-term treatment, the metaplasia (replacement) disappears and the cells return to their normal state. Metaplasia does not disappear on its own.
Is it correct to come to the initial appointment with ready-made analyzes?
Don't do that. The fact is that even blood biochemistry can include various additional indicators. The initial appointment with a specialist allows you to avoid additional appointments and repeated, sometimes not the most pleasant procedures.
How to identify stomach cancer?
This diagnosis can only be confirmed by biopsy. But you can suspect it during gastroscopy. Modern technologies allow it to be carried out so carefully that the endoscopist immediately sees the affected cells.
Another formidable symptom is heartburn, which is quite common in the population, and many do not pay attention to it. However, it may indicate the presence of reflux disease complicated by Barrett's esophagus. This is a precancerous disease with a subsequent transition to cancer, requiring long-term monitoring and drug therapy.
Sometimes, with this pathology, electroablation is performed. There must be strict indications for this procedure, which depend on the degree of development of the syndrome and the lack of effectiveness of conservative treatment.
