Gastrointestinal symptoms are very common. At some point we all have had symptoms of bloating, burning, tummy ache, loose stools, constipation etc. These symptoms may be related to the food we ate, stresses that we had recently experienced or occasionally food poisoning. However majority will settle and majority are benign.
If such symptoms persists for more than 4 weeks a visit to your local GP for an assessment should be made. Certain symptoms would warrant an earlier visit such as unexplained weight loss, waking up at night with the symptoms, obvious blood seen in the stools and recurrent vomiting.
The causes of these symptoms ranges from benign conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid related conditions such as dyspepsia, reflux and ulcer disease to more serious conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cancers.
Liver diseases on the other hand are extremely silent. It is the largest organ in the body and functions like a factory making important proteins and sugars. It is also an organ for a healthy immune system and essentially a giant filtration factory cleaning the blood of toxins. The liver function has to deteriorate significantly prior to any appearance of symptoms such as fatigue, itch, forgetfulness or confusion. Signs also appear very late such as jaundice (yellow discoloration), muscle loss or ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen).
The process whereby the liver is damaged goes through the stages of inflammation, scarring and eventually cirrhosis. This process takes many years and if the underlying cause is well managed the damage will stop and the liver can recover fully.
More information of the various gastrointestinal and liver diseases can be found under the Health Information tab.
If such symptoms persists for more than 4 weeks a visit to your local GP for an assessment should be made. Certain symptoms would warrant an earlier visit such as unexplained weight loss, waking up at night with the symptoms, obvious blood seen in the stools and recurrent vomiting.
The causes of these symptoms ranges from benign conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid related conditions such as dyspepsia, reflux and ulcer disease to more serious conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cancers.
Liver diseases on the other hand are extremely silent. It is the largest organ in the body and functions like a factory making important proteins and sugars. It is also an organ for a healthy immune system and essentially a giant filtration factory cleaning the blood of toxins. The liver function has to deteriorate significantly prior to any appearance of symptoms such as fatigue, itch, forgetfulness or confusion. Signs also appear very late such as jaundice (yellow discoloration), muscle loss or ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen).
The process whereby the liver is damaged goes through the stages of inflammation, scarring and eventually cirrhosis. This process takes many years and if the underlying cause is well managed the damage will stop and the liver can recover fully.
More information of the various gastrointestinal and liver diseases can be found under the Health Information tab.