You feel often nausea and disgust on certain kind of food, have an urge to vomit, have heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence after eating or some other stomach problem, and you are not even aware that these problems can indicate some of serious digestive tract diseases. You should never panic, but don’t underestimate signs that body sends to you, which is the reasons to come on time to see doctor.
Common gastrointestinal diseases
The most common gastrointestinal diseases are stomach ulcer, Crohn’s disease, disbalance in colon functioning, hemorrhoids, different kinds of inflammations, liver and gallbladder diseases, calculi of the gallbladder and bile ducts, benign and malign tumors.
In Atlas General Hospital is formed team of specialists in gastroenterology and general surgery so the patients can have the best diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical treatment if there is need for that.
What is digestive system?
Gastrointestinal track, or digestive tract is system that consists of mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach and duodenum. All this organs together are upper part of the digestive system, while colon and anal opening are lower parts of the tract. The organs associated with the digestive tract include salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Main function of this tract is to enable food intake, its flow, disintegration and apsorption of nutrients that enable normal functioning of the body.
Patients that see blood or black stool, suffer from constipation or other symptoms, have to go to make an appointment with a specialist by all means.
What to expect at gastro appointment?
Gastro appointment is done in the infirmary and begins with detailed conversations with the patient about his problems. After that, usually is performed physical check up and eventually rectal one. Additionally is necessary to do blood tests and basic biochemistry analysis, and after that test for occult blood in the stool and abdominal ultrasound. All other testings will be performed by the doctor after the appointment with the patient and basic analysis. Gastroenterologist also can refer a patient to gastroscopy and/or colonoscopy.
In order to prevent eventual gastro problems, it is necessary to pay attention on quality of food that is taken, cigarettes and alcohol harmful effect and raising awareness of healthy lifestyle especially in young population.
Intense nausea, feeling of disgust on certain kind of food, urge to vomit, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, feeling of burning in the stomach, changes in the stool, are just some of the symptoms that could indicate serious or less serious disease of most important organs in the body.
Common diseases of gastro tract
Dyspepsia – when stomach burns
Dyspepsia is pain or feeling of uneasiness in the region of the stomach that is often followed by burning sensation of this organ or behind sternum, as well as nausea or urge for vomiting and heartburn. It can be organic and in this case it is disease of the esophagus, ulcer disease and tumors, or it can be functional, which is usually in 60% of all dyspepsia cases. Generally speaking, dyspeptic issues are most common ones that are present in gastro ward.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are dilated blood vessels in distal part of the rectum. They are classified as internal or external. They are often created due to long straining during bowel emptying, during pregnancy, as well as due to obesity or prolonged sitting. They often occur around 50 year of age. Symptoms are pruritus and irritation of anal region, pain and uneasiness, bleeding, as well as presence of nodes in this region.
Chron’s disease
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are both major categories of inflammatory bowel diseases. Chron’s disease can affect whole digestive system, beginning from the mouth up to the anal opening, and often is characterized by constant diarrhea with blood in it, pain in the abdomen, but also with presence of fistula, skin changes etc.
Colon cancer
Colon cancer accounts for over 9% of all cancer incidents, it is third most often malignant tumors and fourth cause of death in the world. Patients should pay special attention to the following symptoms: changes in bowel emptying way with sudden presence of diarrhea or constipation, with presence of fresh blood mixed with stool. Male and female older then 50 years with presence of fresh blood mixed with stool or positive ocult blood test need to schedule colonoscopy for early colon cancer detection. Individuals who had family history of colon cancer should make an appointment for colonoscopy also.
Stomach ulcer
Peptic ulcers, generally know as stomach ulcer is disease that is characterized by presence of ulcers on the lining of the esophagus, stomach or duodenum. Main symptom is presence of strong, sharp pain in the stomach area that is intense especially at night. Team of specialists in gastroenterology explains that due to ulcer there is usually strong sense of burning in the organ, especially if the stomach is empty. Stomach ulcer is accompanied by more dramatic symptoms like nausea and vomiting of fresh blood or some gastric content that looks like coffee sludge, as well as black, tar like stool, then lack of appetite that is accompanied by loss of body weight. Causes of peptic can hide in Helicobacter pylori infection, excessive analgesic use, and risk factors are smoking and alcohol drinking.
In Atlas General Hospital we had patients where ulcers were complicated with internal bleeding and scar tissue, which is indication for surgical treatment. Diagnosis is made by taking anamnesis, physical analysis, and then gastroscopy or X ray of the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. If there are some of these problems, patients should make an appointment with a gastroenterologist.
Center for Diagnostic and Endoscopy and Center for General Surgery of the Atlas General Hospital
Expert team in general surgery in Atlas General Hospital within already existing Centers for diagnostic and general and digestive surgery prevents, make diagnosis and cures diseases of esophagus, stomach and duodenum (ulcus, inflammation, tumors, inflammatory diseases like Chron’s and ulcerative colitis), pancreas (inflammations and tumors), hepatobiliary system (different inflammatory diseases, liver and gallbladder diseases), benign and malignant tumors of peritonitis and metabolic diseases.
Specialists of Atlas General Hospital with great experience in diagnostic of diseases of esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, liver and pancreas successfully treat medical issues of the patients.
Good and timely diagnostic is of great importance and this is the reason why our team of specialist during diagnostic of diseases of GL tract and hepatobiliary tract use cutting edge equipment.
In Atlas General Hospital used diagnostic methods are:
gastroscopy with sedation or deep general anesthesia using cutting edge video endoscope
colonoscopy using video colonoscope
anoscopy with sedation (rectal examination )
ultra sound examination of the abdomen, using cutting edge device with possibility of the color doppler echo angiography of the abdominal blood vessels
Surgical interventions that are performed in Atlas General Hospital
Team of specialists, general surgeons, with great success perform complicated surgical interventions. In our hospital it is possible to perform check ups and operations in following surgical operative field.
- colorectal surgery and proctology • stomach and esophagus • liver • pancreas
- thyroid gland • appendix • gallbladder• hernia • varicose veins
- breast surgery • bariatric surgery • minimally invasive surgery
Esophageal and stomach surgery with the leader of the surgical team prof. dr Predrag Peško. Team is consisted of top ranked surgeons: doc dr Predrag Sabljak, ass dr Dejan Veličkovič, ass dr Ognjan Skrobić, dr Vladimir Šljuka, dr Ebrahim Keramatollah and others that treats serious and complicated forms of the reflux diseases as well as proven presence of carcinoma.
In Center for general surgery team of experts are specialized in liver surgery with prof Srbislav Knežević, surgically treats primary as well as secondary cancers (metastatic) of the liver classically and laparoscopically. Methods of transarterial chemoembolization are applied as well as percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of the liver.
Team of experts specialized for pancreatic surgery: profesor Slavko Matić, profesor Srbislav Knežević, doc dr Đorđe Knežević, mr sci med Slavenko Ostojić, dr Borislav Tošković, dr Danijel Galun and other surgeon, members of team in Atlas General Hospital treat:
- acute pancreatitis • chronic pancreatitis• pseudocyst • benign tumors • neuroendocrine tumors
- pancreatic cancer
