Common diseases in gastroenterology, do you have any? This article will tell you everything!

As people's living standards continue to improve, their dietary structure and eating habits are becoming more diversified. In this process, the number of patients with digestive tract diseases is also on the rise and is gradually getting younger.

Pay attention to digestive tract health and have regular gastrointestinal endoscopy

Discover abnormal signs in time and early, make correct diagnosis and effective treatment measures, eliminate the disease in its infancy, and provide advanced protection for health!

The most common diseases in gastroenterology are chronic gastritis , acute pancreatitis , cirrhosis , peptic ulcer , reflux esophagitis , etc. The following is a brief introduction by Yongzhou Lingling District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital .

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1. Chronic gastritis

Chronic gastritis refers to various chronic inflammatory lesions of the gastric mucosa caused by different causes. It is a common disease, and its incidence ranks first among various gastric diseases . Since the widespread use of fiber endoscopy, the understanding of this disease has been significantly improved. Common chronic superficial gastritis, chronic erosive gastritis and chronic atrophic gastritis .

Most patients are asymptomatic or have varying degrees of indigestion symptoms such as upper abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fullness after meals, acid reflux, etc. Those with significant erosion of the gastric mucosa may have upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and long-term small amounts of bleeding may cause iron deficiency anemia. Pernicious anemia often causes weakness, glossitis, and mild jaundice, while gastrointestinal symptoms are rare.

2. Acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory reaction caused by the activation of pancreatic enzymes in the pancreas due to various causes, which leads to autodigestion, edema, bleeding and even necrosis of pancreatic tissue. Clinically , it is characterized by acute upper abdominal pain and elevated blood amylase or lipase .

The severity of the lesion varies. In mild cases, pancreatic edema is the main symptom, which is common in clinical practice. The condition is often self-limited and has a good prognosis. It is also called mild acute pancreatitis. In a few severe cases, the pancreas is hemorrhagic and necrotic, often followed by infection, peritonitis, and shock, with a high mortality rate, which is called severe acute pancreatitis. Clinical pathology often divides acute pancreatitis into two types: edema type and hemorrhagic necrosis type .

Acute edematous pancreatitis: The main symptoms are pain in the middle left upper abdomen or even the whole abdomen. Some patients experience abdominal pain radiating to the back. Nausea, vomiting, and mild fever may occur at the beginning of the disease.

Hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis: Shock, high fever, jaundice, abdominal distension, intestinal paralysis, peritoneal irritation, and subcutaneous ecchymosis may occur. Some patients may develop a large amount of inflammatory ascites and shifting dullness. Bowel sounds disappear, and paralytic intestinal obstruction may occur.

3. Liver Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a progressive chronic liver disease caused by one or more reasons, characterized by diffuse fibrosis, pseudolobules and regenerative nodules in liver tissue. In my country, post-viral hepatitis cirrhosis is the main cause, and other causes include alcoholic cirrhosis, biliary cirrhosis, schistosomal cirrhosis, congestive cirrhosis, and Wilson's disease.

In the early stage, due to the strong compensatory function of the liver, there may be no obvious symptoms or the early symptoms are mild. The main manifestations are fatigue and loss of appetite, which often occur with fatigue, mental stress, or accompanied by other diseases. They can be relieved by rest and medication. In the later stage, liver function damage and portal hypertension are the main manifestations, and multiple systems are affected. In the late stage, complications such as upper gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, secondary infection, hypersplenism, ascites, and cancer often occur.

Patients may experience fatigue, abdominal distension, mild jaundice, liver palms, spider nevi, dull complexion, oliguria, edema of both lower limbs, nosebleeds, purpura , etc.

4. Peptic ulcer

Peptic ulcer mainly refers to the ulcer formed by the digestion of gastrointestinal mucosa. It can occur in the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, near the gastrojejunal anastomosis and Meckel's diverticulum containing gastric mucosa. Gastric and duodenal bulb ulcers are the most common. Therefore, the so-called peptic ulcer generally refers to gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. It has the characteristics of chronic process, periodic attacks and rhythmic upper abdominal pain . It often occurs in autumn and winter and winter and spring, and is related to adverse mental stimulation, mood swings, eating disorders , etc.

The main symptoms include periodic upper abdominal pain: repeated periodic attacks, the attack period can be several weeks or months, the remission period also varies in length, the attack is seasonal, mostly occurring in autumn and winter and winter and spring.

Pain rhythm: The pain of duodenal ulcer occurs between meals and continues until the next meal or antacids are taken. The pain of gastric ulcer occurs more irregularly, often occurring within 1 hour after a meal, gradually easing after 1 to 2 hours, and then reappearing after the next meal.

Pain location: The pain of duodenal ulcer mostly occurs in the upper and middle abdomen, or above the navel, or to the right of the navel; the pain of gastric ulcer also mostly occurs in the upper and middle abdomen, but slightly higher, or under the xiphoid process and to the left of the xiphoid process.

5. Reflux esophagitis

Reflux esophagitis is caused by the reflux of gastric and duodenal contents into the esophagus, causing symptoms such as heartburn. It is divided into reflux esophagitis and non-erosive reflux disease depending on whether it causes erosion and ulceration of the esophageal mucosa. Reflux esophagitis can occur in people of any age, and the incidence rate in adults increases with age .

The incidence rate is high in Western countries, but low in Asia. This regional difference may be related to genetic and environmental factors. However, the global incidence rate has been on the rise in the past two decades. The elderly, obese, smokers, drinkers and people with high mental stress are the most susceptible to reflux esophagitis .

Typical symptoms include a burning sensation behind the sternum (heartburn) and regurgitation.

Heartburn refers to a burning sensation behind the sternum or under the xiphoid process, often extending upward from the lower part of the sternum.

Reflux refers to the feeling of gastric contents flowing into the pharynx or mouth without nausea or effort. When it contains sour taste or is just acid water, it is called acid reflux. Symptoms of reflux and heartburn often appear one hour after a meal, and can be aggravated when lying down, bending over, or with increased abdominal pressure. It often occurs after a full meal. Severe reflux at night can affect the patient's sleep.

Atypical symptoms include chest pain.

Chest pain is caused by reflux irritating the esophagus, occurring behind the sternum. In severe cases, it may be severe, stabbing pain that may radiate to the back, chest, shoulders, neck, and behind the ears. It sometimes resembles angina pectoris and may be accompanied by or without heartburn and reflux.

In addition, some patients experience dysphagia or a foreign body sensation behind the sternum, which may be caused by esophageal spasm or dysfunction. The symptoms are intermittent. They can occur when eating solid or liquid food. In a small number of patients, dysphagia is caused by esophageal stenosis, which is persistent or progressive.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Qian Wenlai, Yongzhou Lingling District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

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(Edited by Wx)