Gastroenterology Diseases Q & A

New Hope Clinical Research

What are the most common gastroenterology diseases?

Gastroenterology encompasses all the diseases and problems that affect your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from your throat through to your rectum.

In addition to your esophagus, stomach, and small intestine, colon, and rectum, gastroenterology includes your liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.

A wide range of health conditions develops throughout your GI tract. These are a few of the most common:

• Gallstones
• Reflux disease (GERD)
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Pancreatic disease
• Peptic ulcers
• Barrett’s esophagus

Gastroenterologists screen for and treat intestinal polyps and cancers of the GI tract. They’re also experts in nutritional and malabsorption problems.

What types of symptoms develop with gastroenterology diseases?

One of the challenges of gastrointestinal conditions is that their symptoms are often generic.

Symptoms associated with your upper GI tract include:

• Indigestion
• Lump in your throat
• Hiccups
• Bad breath, or halitosis
• Nausea and vomiting
• Chest pain

Symptoms associated with your lower GI tract include:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Gas and bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Rectal pain or bleeding

Upper and lower symptoms may result from an underlying illness or a functional disorder. You have a functional disorder when extensive testing can’t find a physiologic reason for your symptoms.

How can clinical trials improve treatment for gastroenterology diseases?

Although some GI disorders can be effectively treated, other conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, are chronic problems that cause ongoing suffering with few treatment options.

Clinical trials are the only way to get new, effective treatments to patients who need them. During clinical trials, new drugs are extensively tested in humans to determine their safety and effectiveness.

For example, several investigational drugs have been developed to treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. They’ve already been extensively tested in the lab and received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to enter clinical trials. Now they’re in phase III clinical trials, which is the last test before they’re approved to go on the market.

The team at New Hope Clinical Research operate an advanced clinical facility, where they meticulously conduct clinical trials for new drugs to treat GI disorders.

Clinical trials depend on volunteers to participate in the study. If you’d like to learn more about your opportunity to join a clinical trial, call New Hope Clinical Research or book an appointment online.