Table of contents:
- A specialist who deals with stomach acid problems
- What is a gastroenterologist?
- Types of diseases handled by gastroenterologists
- Procedures performed by gastroenterologists
- Gastroenterological differences with other doctors
Actually, stomach acid and ulcers can be overcome by paying attention to diet and lifestyle. However, if the symptoms are very worrying and hinder your activities, you may need to see a doctor. However, which doctor should you visit? Is there a gastric acid specialist?
A specialist who deals with stomach acid problems
First of all, if your acid reflux or ulcer disease only causes symptoms that are not so annoying, try to consult a general practitioner first.
If your GP is unable to treat your acid reflux problem because it requires further treatment, they will refer you to a gastroenterologist or gastrointestinal disorder specialist alias.
You will easily find a gastroenterologist with the title Sp.PD-KGEH (gastoenterologist and hepatologist).
If you experience any of the following symptoms, please go to the emergency room immediately to get proper treatment due to acid reflux.
- The chest is very painful, especially if the pain extends to the arms, back, and neck
- Vomiting accompanied by chest pain
- Vomiting blood
- Black stools
- Difficulty swallowing and breathing
What is a gastroenterologist?
According to American College of Gastroenterology , a gastroenterologist is a doctor who has more training in gastrointestinal and liver problems. Usually, these doctors specialize in studying the functions of the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, rectum, pancreas, bile, and liver.
In addition, this doctor who is often referred to as a gastric acid specialist does not perform surgery. They perform an examination by endoscopy.
Endoscopy is an examination procedure that uses special tools to see the condition of the digestive tract.
However, gastroenterologists do not check oral health even though these organs are included in the digestive tract.
Types of diseases handled by gastroenterologists
Not only the problem of stomach acid, gastroenterologist specialists also treat several diseases related to the digestive tract, including:
- Hepatitis C
- Ulcer
- Colon cancer
- IBS
- Pancreatitis
- Polyps that grow in the large intestine
Procedures performed by gastroenterologists
Because these specialists do not perform surgery, they will carry out examinations related to endoscopy, colonoscopy, and biopsy.
- Endoscopic ultrasound to examine the upper and lower digestive tract and other internal organs.
- Colonoscopy so that cancer cells and colon polyps can be detected.
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to find gallstones or tumors in the bile duct.
- Sigmoidoscopy to examine the end of the large intestine, which consists of the rectum, sigmoid colon, and anus. same as colonoscopy, but colonoscopy has a wider scope of examination
- Gastrointestinal biopsy is one of the keys to examining the types of cancer cells / tumors
Gastroenterological differences with other doctors
The education undertaken by doctors who want to learn more about the gastrointestinal tract allows them to provide high-quality care. In fact, there is a study that shows that this specialist doctor can perform colonoscopy / endoscopy better than other doctors.
This is because after these doctors complete their education, they will receive special training in this field. This training includes endoscopy which will later be tested to get a gastroenterologist certification.
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