Gastrointestinal diseases are various pathologies that affect the organs of the human digestive system. These include the esophagus, stomach and duodenum, liver, gall bladder, and intestines. At this time, it is gastrointestinal diseases that most often force patients to visit a medical specialist. Symptoms of the presence of pathology can occur in both children and adults. It is important not to let the development of the disease take its course, as it can either degenerate into a chronic form or cause many complications.
Gastrointestinal diseases in children and adults are treated by a specialist such as a gastroenterologist or a therapist. Diagnosis of the state of the gastrointestinal tract should only be comprehensive. Therapy is prescribed strictly individually and includes pharmaceuticals and proper nutrition. In particularly difficult situations, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can only be treated surgically.
Etiology
Symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases can appear due to the influence of many negative factors. So in the first place among them is poor and unhealthy nutrition. Constant snacking, consumption of processed foods, fast foods, fatty, spicy and salty foods negatively affects the condition of the digestive system. That is why diet for gastrointestinal diseases is the basis of all therapy.
Reasons for the development of gastrointestinal pathologies:
- regular stress;
- consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as addiction to smoking;
- physical inactivity;
- the presence of serious diseases in the body, for example, such as diabetes;
- entry into the gastrointestinal tract of infectious agents, including the bacteria Helicobacter pylori.
Regardless of what prompted the manifestation of the clinic, it is important to immediately visit a specialist. The sooner the gastrointestinal tract is treated, the more favorable the prognosis will be. Prevention of gastrointestinal diseases primarily involves eliminating all of the above unfavorable factors from the patient’s life.
How can coronavirus affect people with gastrointestinal diseases?
It is known that COVID-19 often leads to the formation of blood clots in blood vessels, and in particular, therefore, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases significantly worsen the course of coronavirus infection. How do people with gastrointestinal diseases get sick and what consequences can COVID-19 have for the gastrointestinal tract?
Gastroenterologist, hepatologist, candidate of medical sciences Sergei Vyalov answers :
— Diseases of the digestive organs, as well as vascular disorders, also adversely affect the course of COVID-19. According to a study by Sechenov University, more than 20% of patients infected with coronavirus infection suffer from abdominal pain. 10% experience stool disorders - diarrhea or constipation, appetite worsens, and an unpleasant taste appears in the mouth. In particular, coronavirus infection causes inflammation in the intestines. Even if this process is not accompanied by symptoms, it increases the permeability of the intestinal wall. As a result, toxins and bacteria, which usually do not threaten health, penetrate from the intestines into the blood, causing severe intoxication, harming the liver and aggravating the course of COVID-19.
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Patients infected due to chronic diseases of the digestive system more often suffer from shortness of breath, have a larger area of lung damage according to CT data, and more often require intensive care and oxygen support. In addition, they have higher levels of D-dimer in the blood, which indicates a higher risk of thrombotic and thromboembolic complications. Patients with chronic gastrointestinal diseases have higher levels of procalcitonin in the blood, a marker of bacterial complications. As a result, among people with chronic diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, cases of severe COVID are more common, and they have a higher mortality rate. Therefore, they need to be vaccinated first.
Question answer
Consequences of coronavirus: what awaits patients after COVID-19 Much more often than complications from the gastrointestinal tract, neuropsychiatric symptoms occur after COVID-19. In particular, depression. Some people mistakenly associate its occurrence with inflammation of the digestive system, but such a connection is unlikely. Against the background of a coronavirus infection that occurs with liver damage, only minimal changes in a person’s behavior and emotional state are possible due to an increase in the level of ammonia in the blood. However, depression can indeed develop during and after many infectious diseases, including influenza and other respiratory infections. The first publications describing patients with depression after influenza appeared in the 19th century. But COVID-19 causes psychoneurological disorders more often than other infections, which is facilitated not only by damage to the nervous system, but also by the information background during the pandemic.
Research suggests that 2 out of 3 patients have sleep disturbances, 55% of patients develop anxiety, and 50% develop depression. A depressed emotional state is associated not so much with the virus as with the body’s immune response. Interferon-alpha is involved, and depression is one of the side effects of the release of this cytokine (inflammatory substance). Interferon-alpha depletes the reserves of tryptophan, a precursor to the “happy hormone” serotonin. Hence the extremely depressed state of mind of many who have recovered from the disease. All these symptoms require serious rehabilitation, which is best handled responsibly.
Clinic
There are many signs that indicate damage to the gastrointestinal tract. The main ones include the appearance of heaviness in the stomach, a decrease or complete absence of the desire to consume food, nausea and vomiting, changes in stool (constipation or, on the contrary, diarrhea). In addition, in the presence of gastrointestinal diseases, a person complains of an unpleasant taste in the mouth and odor from it.
Common pathologies are enteritis, pancreatitis, gastritis, esophagitis, colitis, ulcers, constipation, diarrhea and others.
Symptoms of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the length of which in an adult reaches approximately seven meters, are quite common today. Troubles can await us in all organs of the digestive system: in the esophagus, stomach, intestines. In order not to miss the moment of a serious illness and to seek medical help in a timely manner, it is necessary to distinguish between symptoms that may indicate pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Pain
Pain is one of the main symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases, which is of paramount diagnostic importance. During the examination, our doctor will analyze the location and time of pain, as well as its intensity, duration and nature. In diseases of the stomach, pain is localized in this organ and can be dull, paroxysmal, cutting or aching. Pain in the stomach usually appears with the following diseases:
- gastritis – if the acute stage of the disease is characterized, as a rule, by acute, cutting pain, then in the chronic form the pain becomes dull;
- peritonitis - this pathological condition is characterized by sudden sharp pain spreading to the entire abdomen and requires emergency medical attention;
- stomach ulcer;
- bacterial and viral infections;
- food poisoning.
The stomach in our body is very closely connected with the intestines, and therefore these two organs very rarely “sick” individually. Pain in the intestines may indicate the following pathological conditions:
- intestinal colic - with this condition, you may experience cramping pain that occurs when the muscles of the organ contract. Intestinal colic can occur due to food poisoning, enterobiasis, colitis and some other pathologies;
- parasitic intestinal diseases;
- enteritis - inflammation of the small intestine;
- colitis – inflammation of the large intestine;
- appendicitis;
- intestinal dysbiosis, in which the normal ratio of beneficial and opportunistic microorganisms is disrupted; duodenal ulcer;
- duodenitis - damage to the mucous membrane of the duodenum;
- acute intestinal obstruction and fecal stagnation.
If you feel abdominal pain, try to see a doctor as soon as possible. If this is not possible, you can take painkillers, but if the pain is very intense, it is better to immediately call an ambulance.
Belching
When air leaves the stomach into the mouth, belching occurs. It usually occurs when you eat food too quickly, as this causes a large volume of air to enter your stomach. A sign of intestinal diseases is usually belching with an unpleasant, rotten odor. This phenomenon indicates stagnation of food masses in the stomach.
If you feel a sour taste when belching, most likely there are disturbances in the digestive ability of the stomach, which is very often characteristic of gastritis and some other pathological conditions.
Flatulence
Bloating and increased gas formation (flatulence) are also quite common in gastroenterological diseases. Often the occurrence of flatulence is caused by eating foods containing fiber, which contribute to the formation of gases. However, a similar symptom can appear in a number of serious pathologies:
- pancreatic insufficiency;
- intestinal dysbiosis;
- intestinal obstruction, etc.
Heartburn
Heartburn occurs when acidic stomach contents reflux into the esophagus. Many people have at least once experienced a burning sensation in the pit of their stomach. This phenomenon indicates a violation of acidity in the stomach. Thus, heartburn often occurs with gastritis with increased acidity of gastric juice. In case of peptic ulcer, heartburn is usually combined with pain in the stomach, occurring mainly at night.
Nausea and vomiting
A feeling of nausea can occur with many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Nausea often precedes vomiting, in which the contents of the stomach are involuntarily expelled due to irritation of the vomiting center in the medulla oblongata. Most often, this symptom occurs in the following pathological conditions:
- food poisoning;
- stomach ulcer;
- tumor growths in the stomach;
- diseases of the pancreas and gall bladder, etc.
As a rule, vomit includes gastric juice and food debris. If vomiting is very severe, some bile from the duodenum enters the stomach, which may cause a bitter taste and a greenish tint to the vomit. If you start vomiting blood, or the vomit looks like coffee grounds, you should consult a doctor immediately. Be aware of the dangers of excessive and prolonged vomiting, which can lead to dehydration, impaired cardiac function and kidney function.
Stool disorders
The main stool disorders include constipation and diarrhea, which most often occur with inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, causing slow or, conversely, accelerated intestinal motility.
Liquid and frequent stools occur with accelerated peristalsis and may indicate
- food poisoning,
- gastritis,
- intestinal dysbiosis,
- disorders of the pancreas,
- fistulas in the stomach and intestines.
The opposite condition - constipation - occurs with reduced intestinal motility. Constipation is typical for diseases of the digestive tract such as
- gastritis,
- stomach ulcer,
- gastroptosis (prolapse of the duodenum and stomach and decrease in their tone),
- colon tumors,
- chronic pancreatitis, etc.
Bad breath
With some diseases of the digestive system, a specific, rather unpleasant odor from the mouth may be observed:
- with intestinal dysbiosis and intestinal obstruction, the mouth may smell like feces;
- the smell of acetone is characteristic of pancreatic diseases;
- a sour smell is a sign of peptic ulcers, gastritis or diseases of the esophagus.
To determine if you have bad breath, simply place your palm in front of your face, covering both your mouth and nose. Exhale through your mouth and sniff. As a rule, the unpleasant odor in pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract is quite pronounced, so identifying it is not difficult.
Bad taste in the mouth
A specific taste in the mouth can also be a symptom of digestive diseases:
- bitterness in the mouth is usually present in diseases of the intestines and esophagus, in which the motility of these organs and the process of food passage through the gastrointestinal tract are disrupted;
- a sour taste can be felt with gastritis and peptic ulcers with high acidity;
- with pancreatitis and disorders of the pancreas, a taste of sweetness may occur in the mouth.
In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, an unpleasant odor is always accompanied by other clinical signs. If, in addition to an unpleasant taste, you do not have other pathological symptoms, most likely we are talking about dental pathologies or diseases of the ENT organs.
If you are concerned about symptoms that clearly indicate diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, we recommend that you do not delay and contact our gastroenterologist for examination. Remember that a disease detected at an early stage can be treated much easier and faster.
Diagnostics and therapy
Diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases includes both instrumental and laboratory techniques. The following examinations are required:
- taking CBC and blood for biochemical research;
- Ultrasound of the gastrointestinal tract;
- FGDS;
- radiography using a contrast agent;
- carrying out tests to detect the presence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori;
- Gastric juice may need to be taken for analysis.
Treatment of gastrointestinal diseases includes:
- pharmaceuticals;
- physiotherapy;
- dietary nutrition;
- physical therapy;
- surgical intervention.
