Gastrointestinal Surgery

This knowledge can help you identify and respond to symptoms early, improving your chances of successful treatment. Now that we understand the importance of the gastrointestinal system let's delve into the different types of disorders that can affect it.

• Ever experienced that uncomfortable feeling of heartburn after a heavy meal? That's one of the symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Other signs include nausea after eating, wheezing, coughing, hoarseness, and difficulty swallowing.
• Gallstones are solidified pieces of bile that develop inside the gallbladder. The formation of gallstones occurs due to an imbalance of bilirubin, bile salt and cholesterol.
• Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic ailment that arises from an inflamed digestive tract. This refers to a wide array of conditions which result in diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Typical signs of inflammatory bowel disease include diarrhoea that prolongs four weeks, stomach pain, traces of mucous in the faeces, bleeding from the anal region, tiredness and weight loss.
• Diverticular disease: Diverticulitis is a type of diverticular disease whereby tiny pouches develop inside the colon wall and flare up. Common signs associated with diverticulitis include pain in the lower abdominal region and a bloated sensation.
• Gastrointestinal cancers refer to the abnormal development of cells inside the digestive tract and other organs inside the abdominal cavity. Changes to the DNA can cause malignant cells to develop. Usually, a combination of treatments is used to treat this form of cancer, depending on the type, stage, location and patient profile, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.