The tummy tells angry tales…Guard against Gastro.

Every now and then, someone in our family complains of a bloated feeling, heartburn or a certain kind of uneasiness in the abdomen. This uneasiness comes from the disorders of the Gastrointestinal Tract. The disease that effect the gastrointestinal tracts, from oesophagus to the rectum including the accessory digestive organs i.e liver, gall bladder and pancreas. The term encompasses a wide range of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and functional dyspepsia. The season when these diseases flare up the most is monsoon. Blame the taste buds or the unhygienic environment where the infection spreads like a wild fire, rain gives way to vomiting, pain, indigestion, dysentery, cholera and abdominal pain to name a few illnesses. You can consult some of the best gasteroentrologist at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre , Mumbai. Let’s have a top to bottom look at a few of the most prevalent gastric diseases and conditions. rn1. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): a burning pain in the middle of the chest, this condition results from the irritation of the food pipe lining when the stomach acid or bile backs up into the esophagus. It is common to experience this reflux once in a while but more than two episodes weekly, need consultation. 2. Gallstones: hard deposits formed in the gall bladder, a pouch that stores and secretes bile for digestion. These stones are formed when there’s excessive cholesterol or waste in the bile and the gall bladder doesn’t empty properly. Patient complains of sharp pain in the upper-right part of the abdomen. 3. Celiac disease: a serious sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. It attacks the absorption sites of the small intestine called villi. The symptoms include anemia, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation and pain. 4. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): this term includes two diseases, Crohn’s disease which affects the terminal part of the small intestine (ileum) and is supposed to have a genetic preponderance. Symptoms include pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight-loss and fever. The other disease is Ulcerative Colitis which solely affects the large intestine and leads to sores and ulcers in the lining. Pain with diarrhea, blood in stool, abdominal cramps follow. 5. Hemorrhoids: an inflammation of blood vessels at the end of the digestive tract which can be itchy and painful caused due to chronic constipation, straining and lack of fibers in the diet. 6. Diverticulitis: diverticulosis is the asymptomatic formation of small pouches in the weak spots of the digestive tract lining. It mostly affects the elderly. When inflamed, these pouches result in diverticulitis which leads to abdominal pain and fever. Having spoken of the most common gastrointestinal conditions, should one be cautious only during monsoon? Well, of course not. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the mainstay of avoiding gastric diseases, be it any season. Eating habits reflect most diseases that we suffer. Home cooked food, less grease helps in avoiding indigestion and dysentery, cholera, vomiting that are caused due to contaminated food and water. An upgrade in the lifestyle is necessary to have an upgrade in health. To know more about your specific condition, please visit an Gastroenterologist in a a trusted hospital close to you.