Specialists

Gastroenterology

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Gastroenterology

What is Gastroenterology?

Gastroenterology is the diagnosis and treatment of disorders that affects the organs that make up the digestive system such as the stomach, bowel, liver, pancreas and oesophagus (food pipe).

A Gastroenterologist is a doctor specialising in diagnosing and treating disorders of the Gastrointestinal tract. These can include gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GORD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Peptic Ulcers.

General Surgeons are doctors who have specialised in Surgery to diagnose and treat disorders such as Gallstones, Bowel Cancer, Pancreatitis and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases like Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

Symptoms and conditions

Literature on this site is for information purposes only, please do not use it to self-diagnose or any form of self-treatment. We recommend that you see a registered healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment plan.

Possible symptoms:

Unexplained weight loss, changes to your bowel habit such as going to the toilet more frequently or your poo changing colour and consistency for more than 6 weeks, blood in your poo.
Diarrhoea, blood in your poo, stomach pain / cramps, bloating, reduced appetite, unexplained weight loss, mouth ulcers, fatigue
Alternating constipation and diarrhoea, bloating, indigestion, mucus in your poo, tummy pain/cramps, excess gas in the stomach – passed as wind
Loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, bloating, excess gas in the stomach passed as wind, tummy pain, diarrhoea, fatigue
Burning pain in chest or stomach after eating, acid reflux causing soue taste in the mouth, bad breath, bloating, feeling nauseous, recurrent cough
Tummy pain on the right side under the ribs, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, fatigue
Severe constant tummy pain on the right side usually a few hours after eating, fever, pain in right shoulder or between shoulder blades, nausea or vomiting

Related conditions:

Bowel cancer
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Coeliac Disease
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
Fatty Liver Disease / Liver Cirrhosis
Gallstones

Tests & investigations

Examples of tests done in Gastroenterology

Stool test

There are different stool tests available:

Q-FIT is a test to check for microscopic blood in the stool which is done to rule out bowel cancer or other inflammatory disorders of the bowel.

Calprotectin checks for levels of inflammation in the bowel which can be an indicator of inflammatory bowel disorders

Helicobacter Pylori stool test can check for a bug that causes acid buildup in the stomach resulting in symptoms like bloating and burping.

Blood tests

Various blood tests can be done including liver function tests, cholesterol levels, pancreatic enzymes and also IgA to check for coeliac disease.

Endoscopy test

This is an invasive camera test to check the oesophagus (food pipe), stomach and small intestine.

This is useful in detecting stomach ulcers, problems with the oesophagus, hiatus hernias and also allows testing for Helicobacter Pylori.

Colonoscopy

This is an invasive camera test to check the rectum and large intestine (Colon) for signs of bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and other conditions such as diverticulosis and polyps.

The camera is inserted into the rectum and slowly advanced around the large intestine. You will be given medicine to relieve pain or relax you.

It is usually requested to investigate causes of bleeding from the rectum, chronic diarrhoea, abdominal pain and weight loss.

Ultrasound scan

This is a non invasive scan using a scanning probe that moves over a layer of gel on your abdomen. This looks at the abdominal organs in more detail and can assess for the presence of liver scarring or fatty infiltration and also check the gallbladder for gallstones.

This test is able to see most of the abdominal organs (including the spleen and the pancreas) but is not able to examine the intestines.

Barium Swallow Test

The barium swallow test allows the Gastroenterologist to see how food moves through the gastrointestinal tract and shows up any blockages or narrowing.

You usually need to be on a low-fibre diet a few days before the test. You will be given a drink containing Barium (an element that is visible on xray) and an xray of your abdomen will be done.

What's involved?

Consultation Process

Symptom assessment

The consultant will ask you to describe your symptoms and concerns and take a medical history.

Physical examination

The consultant will carry out an appropriate physical examination.

Tests and investigations

The consultant will arrange appropriate tests and investigations such as blood tests and imaging.

Our Specialists

Dr Kinesh Patel Consultant Gastroenterologist

Dr Kinesh Patel is a consultant gastroenterologist based at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital since 2016, with a spe...

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How do prescriptions work?

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