Gastroenterology clinical trialsis a branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the digestive system. From a lump in your throat to unexplained weight loss, a gastroenterologist at Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, GA can help. Today we’ll take a detailed look at what our gastrointestinal specialists do, when you need to schedule an appointment, and how to prepare for your first visit.
What does a gastroenterology clinical trials do?
A gastroenterologist is a specialist doctor specializing in the digestive tract. Within the field, you will find generalists who have studied the entire digestive tract fairly thoroughly and can diagnose and treat you or refer you to a specialist. Here you will also find specialists who have studied a certain subfield very thoroughly. Such specializations include:
- Disease of the pancreas
- Gastrointestinal cancer
- Endoscopic monitoring
- Reflux esophagitis
- IBD
- Transplantation
- Hepatology (study of the liver, biliary tree, gallbladder and pancreas
How well educated are gastroenterology clinical trials?
The Atlanta gastroenterology clinical trials is incredibly knowledgeable. The first step to becoming a gastroenterologist is to earn a bachelor’s degree. After that, those who want to enter the field of gastroenterology must complete four years of medical school. Once this is accomplished, the pathway leads to a three-year residency in internal medicine. During this time, the budding gastrointestinal specialist works alongside experienced professionals and receives extensive guidance.
After 11 years of post-secondary school, hands-on experience and mentorship, a future GI specialist must complete a fellowship that can last two to three years. This highly specialized training includes hands-on endoscopy training, a non-surgical way to examine the GI tract for potential problems. Finally, a GI specialist must pass a certification exam to become ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) certified.
Do I need to see a gastroenterologist?
If you suffer from gastrointestinal (gastrointestinal) problems such as diarrhoea, constipation, flatulence that does not go away, or general bowel problems, you may need to see a gastroenterologist. However, it is important to remember that your digestive system starts in your mouth and ends in your anus. Therefore, you may need to see a digestive system specialist even if your symptoms are not in your gut. Here are some signs that you need to schedule an appointment:
Unexplained weight loss
There may have been a time when you dreamed of losing weight effortlessly. Unfortunately, unintended weight loss is never really a good sign. Maybe you took on a more active job and were too busy to eat. Most often we see people who have not significantly changed their diet and exercise routine and cannot stop losing weight.
If the latter describes you, you most likely have an undiagnosed GI disorder. Undiagnosed Crohn’s disease and celiac disease often lead to weight loss that won’t stop despite efforts to consume more calories. However, the cause of your unexplained weight loss could be something as serious as pancreatic, stomach or colon cancer. If you’ve been losing weight for several weeks without changing your routine, you need to schedule an appointment right away.
Flatulence
When women experience bloating, this condition is usually a symptom of PMS. However, if bloating is experienced by postmenopausal women or men, it can be a sign of a serious medical condition, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms. For example, if you experience bloating, abdominal pain, and bloody stools, you may have an undiagnosed food allergy, reflux, or gallstones.
If you’re not sure if your bloating is something to worry about, minimize your sodium intake and drink plenty of water for a day or two. You should be able to flush out most of the retained water. From there, keep a journal of everything you eat and drink for several weeks. You may find that you only get bloated when you drink alcohol and eat double cheeseburgers. If there is no clear trigger, come to the meeting.
Heartburn
Another sign that you need to schedule an appointment with a GI specialist is heartburn. Heartburn can be a sign that you tried a new food that was too spicy or acidic for your GI tract. However, it can also be a sign that you are suffering from GERD, or gastroenterology clinical trials reflux disease. If you’re itching for something new, don’t panic.
However, if you experience heartburn that persists for more than three weeks, even after your diet has returned to normal, you may have GERD. While GERD itself is not a life-threatening condition, it can lead to very serious medical conditions if left untreated. For example, long-term inflammation can lead to permanent damage to the esophagus that causes chronic sore throat. It can also lead to adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
Excessive gas
We all get gas every once in a while. It most often appears after consuming a larger amount of fiber than we are used to, but it can also occur without a clear cause. There is nothing wrong with flatulence in itself. However, it may indicate an undiagnosed medical condition if it is abnormal. The most common sign that gas is abnormal is an abnormally pungent odor that accompanies the gas.
Other signs that gas is abnormal include unexplained weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, or abdominal discomfort that occurred at the same time as unusually frequent gas. You may have undiagnosed irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal disease, or a previously unknown food intolerance.
Hemorrhoid
t’s also time to schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist if you have or suspect you have hemorrhoids. Most hemorrhoids are external, located outside the anus, and can be easily treated. Internal hemorrhoids are most often treated during a colonoscopy. Symptoms that you may have a hemorrhoid include rectal pain when sitting or having a bowel movement, constipation, bloody stools, anal discomfort, rectal itching, and rectal swelling.
Bloody stools
Bloody stools or fresh blood in the toilet after you pass a stool can be a sign of an internal hemorrhoid, but it can also be a sign of a more serious condition. Black stool is of particular concern. When your stool is black, you probably have bleeding deeper into your digestive system. If you notice blood in the toilet bowl or on the toilet paper after wiping, you should consider seeing a professional.
However, if you notice black poop, the blood is not fresh and you should make an appointment with a GI specialist immediately. In menopausal women, black, bloody stools are usually just a sign of tissue thinning in the digestive tract, but it’s not worth the risk of not diagnosing cancer in the digestive tract. Regardless of your age or gender, you should be concerned if your stool is black.
Lump in the throat
During cold and flu season, it’s not uncommon to experience difficulty swallowing due to an incredibly sore throat or lump in your throat. Swollen lymph nodes or postnasal drip are usually the cause of difficulty swallowing. However, if you are not experiencing signs of severe allergies, sinus infections, colds or the flu, you most likely have a digestive problem such as esophageal cancer.
To prepare for your appointment, write down when you first noticed the symptom, how long it lasts, if it’s intermittent, how often it comes back, and any other symptoms you’re experiencing, such as unexplained weight loss. This will help us diagnose the cause of all your symptoms, whether it’s GERD, GER, esophageal cancer, or something else.
What conditions do gastroenterologists treat?
Pancreatitis
Remember that your digestive tract runs from your mouth to your anus, so any problems you have in your throat, intestines, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, anus, rectum, and more can be treated by a gastroenterology clinical trials digestive tract specialist. One of the diseases diagnosed and treated is pancreatitis, a disease that causes severe inflammation of the pancreas.
There are several potential treatment methods depending on how far the disease has progressed. If the disease is diagnosed at an early stage of its development, it can be treated with certain dietary changes. Common diets that can treat pancreatitis include periodic fasts, a temporary clear liquid diet, or a low-fat diet. If the disease has progressed significantly, a cholecystectomy may be necessary.
Jaundice
Jaundice is a condition characterized by yellowing of the skin and eyes and caused by an excess of bilirubin in the bloodstream. However, if you experience symptoms of this condition, such as yellow skin and eyes, dark urine, nausea, itching, abdominal swelling or pain, and pale gray or yellow stools, you do not need to see a dermatologist.
There are several potential causes of excess bilirubin in the bloodstream. The most common causes include obstruction of the bile ducts, severe inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) and pancreatic cancer. Other serious potential causes of this condition include congenital disorders, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, and malaria. If left untreated, some of these conditions can be life-threatening.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS, is one of the most common gastroenterology clinical trials conditions treated by gastrointestinal specialists. There are several variants of this syndrome, including IBS-C (Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Constipation), IBS-D (Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Diarrhea), and IBS-M (Mixed Irritable Bowel Syndrome). IBS-M is characteristic of IBS with mixed symptoms. In other words, you may experience both constipation and diarrhea.
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Although this condition is not life-threatening, it can certainly destroy your quality of life. Constipation can be so severe that you may experience chronic discomfort, bloating and pain. Diarrhea can strike at any time, whether you’re in the middle of the most important conversation of your life or trying to sit through a movie with your husband. A specialist in the digestive tract can help.
What should I bring to the first meeting?
If you have Medicare, Medicaid, or other health insurance, you must bring photo identification and your insurance card to your first appointment. Also, if you are self-employed, you must bring a current photo ID, your most recent federal tax return for income verification and unemployment insurance wage determinations provided by the Georgia Dept. of Labor. But if you do not have a photo ID, you can fill out an affidavit confirming your identity.
Why you’re worried about being able to afford your appointment, you may qualify for our sliding fee scale. In addition to providing proof of identity, you will need to provide proof of income and proof of family size. The easiest way to verify income and family size is to bring your most recent tax return. This single document will show us how much your household earned last year and how many dependents you are responsible for.
Find the cause of your symptoms today
A gastroenterologist in USA is a doctor who diagnoses and treats digestive tract problems ranging from throat or colon cancer to inflammatory bowel disease. If you think you need a gastroenterology clinical trials specialist to diagnose your medical condition, Visit our site Vial to schedule an appointment.