Author Archives: Dr Datta

GI bleeding causes & treatment | Dr. Datta Ram

GI bleeding indicates a problem with your digestive tract. It can be mild to severe, and sometimes, GI bleeding can become life-threatening. Knowing the cause and early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment of GI bleeding.

What are the symptoms of GI bleeding?

The signs and symptoms associated with GI bleeding can be mild to severe. They can also be either obvious or hidden. The symptoms may depend on the location and position of the area where bleeding starts.

The obvious bleeding signs include:

• Red or dark brown vomiting (blood)
• Tarry or black stool
• Bleeding (anal or rectal bleeding in or with stool)

Gastrointestinal bleeding which is not obvious (Hidden or Occult) causes

• Abdominal pain
• Chest pain
• Fainting
• Breathing difficulty
• Lightheadedness

GI Bleeding Causes

GI bleeding can occur in the upper GI tract or the lower GI tract due to several reasons.

Causes of Upper GI Bleeding

Tears in the lining of the esophagus – Also known as Mallory-Weiss tears. This type of bleeding is common in heavy drinkers.

Peptic Ulcers – These are sores on the lining of stomach and upper portion of small intestine.

Esophagitis – inflammation of the esophagus due to GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)

Esophageal Varices (enlarged veins in the esophagus)

Causes of Lower GI Bleeding

Proctitis – Rectal bleeding occurs due to the inflammation of the lining of rectum.

Anal Fissures – Tears in the lining of the anus

Hemorrhoids – veins swell, bulge and protrude from the anus or lower rectum and cause bleeding.

Colon Polyps – These are small growths on the lining of the colon. Though a majority of them are harmless, they may turn cancerous and cause bleeding if not removed.

Tumors – GI tract cancer can cause bleeding. Both benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) tumors can weaking the lining of the digestive tract and cause bleeding.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Both Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis can cause sores and inflammation in the lining of the colon and rectum and cause bleeding.

Diverticulitis or diverticulosis is a condition in which small bulging pouches form in the digestive tract. When they get infected and inflamed, they cause bleeding.

How is the cause of GI bleeding diagnosed?

Your gastroenterologist will take into account the signs and symptoms, make a note of medical history and then conducts a physical examination. The doctor might order a few blood tests. Stool tests and endoscopy.

Treatment

If GI bleeding stops on its own, it doesn’t require treatment. However, treatment mostly depends on the identified cause and the location of bleeding.  For instance, if polyps are the cause of rectal bleeding, they are removed during a colonoscopy procedure. If the GI bleeding is due to GERD, then treating GERD effectively can stop the bleeding. In a nutshell, once the source of GI bleeding is identified, your surgical gastroenterologist will suggest appropriate treatment.

When to seek emergency medical care?

If bleeding starts suddenly and progresses rapidly, it can lead to shock. The person who is in shock has the following signs and symptoms – rapid pulse, low blood pressure or drop in blood pressure; less frequent urination or urinating in small amounts and unconsciousness. If a person has these signs and symptoms of shock, someone should call and seek emergency medical care immediately. If you think you have the other signs and symptoms of GI bleeding, then you should seek an appointment with a surgical gastroenterologist.

Best doctor for fissure in Hyderabad

Dr. Datta Ram explains everything about anal fissure that you always want to know.

ANAL FISSURES – Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Anal Fissure: A small tear in the thin, moist tissue that lines the anus is known as anal fissure. It causes pain and bleeding with bowel movements. Anal fissures can occur in people of any age. In many cases, they get better with some home-based remedies such as warm-water bath sitz; increasing fiber intake; taking medications. Surgery may be recommended in some cases.

What are the causes of anal fissures?

Anal fissure causes include:

• Constipation
• Passing large and hard stools
• Straining during bowel movements
• Childbirth (women)
• Long-lasting diarrhea
• Anal intercourse

What are the symptoms of anal fissure?

Anal Fissure symptoms may include:

• A crack or tear in the skin around the anus
• A skin tag or small lump in the skin near the fissure
• Bright red blood on stool or on toilet paper after a bowel movement
• Pain during and after bowel movements

What are the risk factors for anal fissure?

 The factors that may increase the risk of anal fissure include:

  Age: Common in infants and middle-aged adults.

  Crohn’s disease: It can make the lining of anal canal susceptible to tearing.

  Childbirth: The risk of anal fissure increases after childbirth in women.

Constipation: Passing hard and bulky stools and straining during bowel movements can increase the risk of tearing anal skin.

Anal intercourse increases the risk of anal fissures.

 What happens if you don’t treat anal fissures?

Chronic anal fissure fails to heal up to several weeks – may be up to six to eight weeks. It needs comprehensive treatment.

Untreated fissure and fissure that extends into the ring of muscles that keeps anus closed may become problematic. Once a fissure enters into the internal anal sphincter, it becomes difficult for it to heal. When this happens, you may need medicines to ease the discomfort. And to reduce the pain or remove the fissure, you will need surgery.

Treatment

The treatment for anal fissure depends on the severity of the condition and associated symptoms. The non-surgical approaches may include external application of nitroglycerin if other conservative approaches fail to give any relief. In addition, doctors may also prescribe topical anesthetic creams to relieve pain.

Surgery: If conservative treatment approaches fail to give any results, your surgical gastroenterologist may recommend surgery. The doctor will perform lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS). If the symptoms are severe, then this procedure may help relieve pain, reduce spasm and promote healing.

Fistula treatment in Hyderabad by Dr. Datta Ram U

Anal Fistula – The glands lining the anus from inside makes mucus. When these glands get clogged, they become infected leading to an abscess.

Fistula is a small tunnel or channel that develops in the anal region. It is often a result of an infection that causes a collection of pus (abscess) in the nearby anal tissue. A small channel is left behind when the pus drains away. Anal fistula causes very unpleasant and disgusting symptoms including skin irritation, pain, bleeding, and oozing of pus. These symptoms do not get better on their own. In most cases, surgery is recommended to treat anal fistula.

Anal Fistula Symptoms

The signs and symptoms associated with anal fistula include:

• Bowel incontinence – difficulty in controlling bowel movements
• Passing blood and pus during bowel movements
• Inflammation, redness, and swelling around the anus
• Fever – if an abscess develops
• Chills and a feeling of fatigue
• Smelly discharge from near the anus
• Skin irritation around the anus
• Persistent, nagging, and throbbing pain that may become worse with cough, movement, sitting, or moving around.

What causes an anal fistula?

Anal fistula causes: Anal abscess is the main reason behind the development of anal fistula. Most of the time, an anal fistula may result when the abscess doesn’t heal properly.

An anal fistula may also develop less commonly as a consequence of a long-term skin condition (hidradenitis suppurative) that causes scarring and abscesses near the anus. The other less common causes of the anal fistula may include diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, HIV infection, trauma, radiation treatment, tuberculosis, cancer, and also as a result of complications of surgery near the anus.

Diagnosis of Anal Fistula

Your gastro surgeon examines the area around your anus and looks for an opening in the skin. Next, the doctor will see the opening of the fistula track and try to determine how deep it is. In a majority of cases, pus drains out of the external opening. In some cases, a fistula may not be visible on your skin surface. Therefore, to diagnose a fistula, your surgical gastroenterologist may perform additional tests such as an anoscopy or colonoscopy. Your gastro surgeon may also order an ultrasound or MRI of the anal region to get a better picture of the fistula tract.

Anal fistula Treatment in Hyderabad

The gold standard treatment for anal fistula is surgery. It is almost always recommended by well-experienced and expert colorectal surgeons and surgical gastroenterologists specializing in colorectal surgery. An expert colorectal surgeon’s goal is to perform surgery tactically and diligently to get rid of the fistula while protecting the anal sphincter muscles. If these muscles get damaged bowel incontinence may result.

Best fistula treatment in Hyderabad

The aim of the surgery for an anal fistula is to ensure that the anal sphincter muscle is safe during the procedure. The most common procedure is fistulotomy which involves cutting and opening the fistula along its whole length so that it heals as a flat scar. It is the most effective procedure for most fistulas.

The other procedures for the treatment of fistula include Seton technique, advancement flap procedure (the fistula is covered with a flap, or piece of tissue, taken from the rectum, like a trap door), LIFT procedure, LASER surgery for fistula, Endoscopic ablation and the insertion of a bioprosthetic plug.

Meet Dr. Datta Ram U for the best treatment of anal fistula. You can discuss all of your treatment options with Dr. Datta Ram U.

Abdominal adhesions causes, symptoms, and treatment

Abdominal adhesions are nothing but bands of tissue or scar-like tissue that form in the abdomen. The scar-like tissue forms between one or more abdominal organs or between the abdominal wall and organs.

Normally abdominal organs surfaces and abdominal wall do not stick together. But abdominal adhesions can make the surfaces of abdominal organs and abdominal wall stick together. This happens when you move. This may lead to abdominal pain and other symptoms.

Abdominal adhesions causes intestinal blockage or obstruction and other complications that may lead to symptoms. They can pull, twist, kink, or compress other organs or intestines.

Abdominal Adhesions Causes

Abdominal adhesions are common as they mostly develop in people who have had abdominal surgery done. In most cases, abdominal adhesions do not develop any symptoms or complications. Inflammatory conditions and abdominal infections can also cause abdominal adhesions. The other causes of abdominal adhesions may include peritonitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, diverticular disease, and Crohn’s disease.

Long-term peritoneal dialysis to treat kidney failure can also cause abdominal adhesions.

What are the symptoms of abdominal adhesions?

The signs and symptoms associated with abdominal adhesions may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, not passing gas, constipation, and bloating. Intestinal obstruction or blockage may lead to peritonitis. This may lead to fever and a fast heart rate. Chronic abdominal pain is the major symptom.

Complications associated with Abdominal adhesions

Intestinal obstruction can be a life-threatening complication associated with abdominal adhesion. Due to obstruction or partial or complete blockage of fluids, air, food, or stool through the intestines death of intestinal tissues occur. It can also lead to the infection of the abdominal cavity (peritonitis).

Intestinal obstruction can cause severe complications. Therefore, people with chronic abdominal pain, passing no gas, fluids, or stool should seek medical attention immediately.

In women, abdominal adhesions can lead to infertility by blocking or compressing the reproductive organs.

Diagnosis of Abdominal Adhesions

Doctors take into account the medical history of the patient including the past history of abdominal conditions or surgery. During a physical examination, the doctor checks for pain and tenderness in the abdomen and uses a stethoscope to listen to abdominal sounds. To make a diagnosis of the condition, the doctor may order blood tests and imaging tests (abdominal ultrasound and CT).

Bottom Line

Abdominal adhesions are less common after laparoscopic surgery than after open surgery. If abdominal adhesions don’t cause symptoms or complications, they typically don’t need treatment. To release adhesions that are causing chronic abdominal pain and other symptoms -such as intestinal obstruction, surgical gastroenterologists perform surgery. Doctors who treat abdominal adhesions are specialists in abdominal adhesion surgery.

If you have any queries pertaining to abdominal adhesions, meet me personally.