As in my previous article , the number of people visiting doctors with gastroenterological symptoms has increased significantly in Hungary in recent years.

Based on a domestic survey, one-third of patients turn to their doctor with a digestive tract complaint, and 30% of these patients are referred to a gastroenterologist.

In my previous essay, I showed how important it is to recognize and solve acute abdominal complaints, the so-called acute abdominal symptoms.

At the same time, in the majority of cases, we are not dealing with diseases that develop in a few hours and produce increasingly worsening symptoms, but with processes that gradually develop over days, weeks, or even months, sometimes decrease, sometimes worsen, and are not so strong that they require immediate treatment , make surgical intervention necessary.

These gastroenterological symptoms will be discussed below.

I apologize for the fact that when patients complain of poor digestion - and this is said more than once - they do not describe specific symptoms, and this does not make the doctors' work any easier. Because what does it mean that someone has indigestion? Are you constipated, have chronic diarrhoea, bloating, recurring abdominal pain, discomfort, weight loss or bleeding? Do several symptoms occur together? All these complaints must be interpreted together, so in such cases a specialist, preferably a gastroenterologist, must be consulted.

Since the background of these symptoms is sometimes a banal cause, sometimes a chronic disease, sometimes a tumor symptom, sometimes not even a gastrointestinal origin, the diagnosis is not at all easy,

it requires a lot of attention, a high level of professional knowledge and experience. And indeed, it also happens that no organ changes can be detected against the background of serious subjective complaints.

In fact, the complaints detailed above may indicate that there is a gastrointestinal disease, so it is worth considering and analyzing them individually.

I have already written about gastrointestinal bleeding before, so I take the opportunity to draw attention to this group of symptoms and the importance of screening tests ( https://civilek.info/2023/10/10/par-mondatban-a-gastrointestinalis -verzesrol-and-another-tevhit-distribution/ ).

Chronic diarrhea

Now, among the above symptoms, I am sharing thoughts about the chronic diarrhea that persists for weeks and months, making the lives of many miserable.

Acute diarrhea is most often caused by an infectious disease, which in some cases resolves on its own or on symptomatic drugs, although targeted treatment may also be used. This is basically the case for healthy adults, however, we draw special attention to small children, chronic patients and the elderly, who are at increased risk of dehydration, and in their case hospitalization may be justified.

However, chronic diarrhea requires investigation in all cases, as serious diseases can be lurking in the background, and in addition, by definition, they are associated with weight loss and weakening of the body.

Such pathologies include all malabsorption diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), lactose intolerance and celiac disease. There can be a malignant disease in the background, but not only tumors of the colon, but also tumors of the pancreas, stomach, even the lymphatic system, and even thyroid malignancies. The latter is also because the hyperactivity of the thyroid gland itself is associated with diarrhea. Side effects of countless medications can be such a symptom, so it is also a task to review and eliminate medications, dietary supplements, and homeopathic preparations taken unnecessarily. Prolonged symptoms can be caused by exotic or not-so-exotic pathogens, so a stool culture is mandatory in this case. In addition to diverticulosis of the large intestine, the background may be the effect of some chemical or online poison, but AIDS or psychological illness may also manifest in such symptoms.

And it is a misconception that diarrhea and constipation do not require any action. On the contrary, it is considered a typical symptom of colon cancer.

Therefore, in this case as well as in the case of the chronic symptom detailed above, colonoscopy and colonoscopy must be performed.

It can therefore be seen that what is thought to be a simple symptom can be caused by a wide range of causes, so in this case too it is in everyone's best interest to place their health in competent hands.

Author: Dr. György Temesszentandrasi

Photo: Darko Djurin / Pixabay