On 17 Dec, Health Live @ Seniors Today hosted Dr Prasanna Shah, a leading Consultant Interventional Gastroenterologist who spoke on and answered questions about Gastric Issues and Stomach Care.
About Dr Prasanna Shah:
Dr Prasanna Shah is a leading Consultant Interventional Gastroenterologist and is attached to the Breach Candy, Jaslok and Saifee Hospitals in Mumbai. He has vast experience in therapeutic endoscopy and now metabolic correction endoscopy for weight loss
In the post Covid era, there have been patients who have come with unexplained pain in the upper abdomen, which is called the epigastric region, unexplained pancreatitis, unexplained loose stools which vary from a duration of few days to a few weeks associated with weight loss. Some patients present with all or a combination of the above symptoms along with fever. And upon investigation no strong cause or conclusion is found. Which leads us to think that it is either a post Covid sequel or it could be because of the large amounts of Vitamin C supplements and antibiotics that the patient was prescribed which could have led to the above symptoms.
If you have loose motions, people invariably tend to take antibiotics instead of probiotics which tends to worsen the loose stools. A good natural, home made probiotic is curd.
If you take one bowl of curd twice a day, your gut flora is good.
Probiotics improve the gut health by
- Reducing the inflammation
- Replaces bad bacteria with good bacteria
- Helps in forming stools
The stomach, oesophagus and the duodenum form the upper GI system.
There can be ailments of the oesophagus, like- difficulty in swallowing or burning of the food
Stomach- pain, burning, bloating, gas
Gastritis means swelling in the lining of the stomach and produces the following symptoms- pain, burning and bloating
There are many causes of gastritis.
In the elderly you have to also look for H. pylori infection. It is a bacterial infection which comes from contaminated food and water
Another reason for gastritis in the elderly can be the large quantities of medicines that the seniors take. One of the most common medicines that most seniors take is Ecosprin (aspirin), this can produce inflammation of the lining of the stomach, small ulcerations in the stomach, gastric/ duodenal ulcers.
Other causes that can contribute to gastritis:
– Lack of sleep
– Irregular/ inconsistent lifestyle
- Long gaps between meals
- Alcohol and smoking are significant factors for increased acid output in the stomach. It increases the amount of acid release by 3 to 4 times.
Signs and symptoms of stomach cancer in the elderly can be
- Early fullness
- Early tightness and bloating
- Low appetite
- Early satiety
- Progressive weight loss
- Persistent nausea and vomiting
- Black stools
Varices are veins which we see in the food pipe and the stomach. It is because the liver gets compromised due to cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis means that the liver shrinks to almost half of its original size.
Causes for cirrhosis of liver-
- The most common being alcohol
- Hepatitis B and hepatitis C related
- Fatty liver
Cirrhosis causes swelling in the veins of the liver and that is what we call portal hypertension. These veins can burst and cause blood in vomitus, giddiness, and tar coloured stools.
They can be dealt with simple endoscopy, medication.
Cirrhosis can be treated with medicines up to a certain point after which the patient has to undergo a liver transplant.
Metabolic syndrome X is- Diabetes Mellitus type II, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity. This can produce a fatty liver and thus fatty liver can cause cirrhosis.
Treatment for fatty liver includes some basic medicines, but the most important thing that one can do is regular exercise, and a well nourished diet. Reduce the calorie intake, increase the protein, decrease the carbohydrates.
NASH is Non Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis. In those people who do not consume alcohol, they have fat, which causes inflammation and destruction of the liver.
ASH is Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis where the alcohol causes the damage.
If an individual only has fatty liver, then the degree of progression to cirrhosis is not very fast. But if the person is consuming alcohol and also has a fatty liver then the progression to cirrhosis is much faster.
