Gastrointestinal (GI) health focuses on the GI tract – the complex passageway that filters your body’s nutrients.  The best prevention of gastric disease and colon cancer is through early detection.  Colorectal cancer, if detected early is 90 percent treatable.  It is also 90 percent preventable.

Colon cancer is a silent stalker, usually causing no symptoms until the disease is very advanced. Those symptoms may include: rectal bleeding or pain, change in a regular bowel habit, unexplained anemia (decrease of healthy red blood cells), unexplained weight loss or new onset of lower abdominal pain.

Adults over the age of 50 are at risk for colorectal cancer and the risk increases as we  age. If your family has a history of colorectal cancer, you have a personal history of colon polyps, Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative colitis, you are considered HIGH risk.

For normal risk individuals, screening tests should begin at age 50.  However, those with family history of colon cancer or polyps should begin screening before age 50.  The baseline results of that test will dictate how frequently the patient should return for subsequent screenings.

A colonoscopy allows a doctor to look inside the entire large intestine. The procedure enables the physician to see inflamed tissue, abnormal growths and ulcers. This very simple procedure is lifesaving.  The patient is under moderate sedation in ‘twilight sleep,’ and the process typically takes 20-30 minutes.

Preparation involves a special liquid diet for 1-3 days to empty the colon.  A thorough cleansing of the bowel is necessary before a colonoscopy so the patient may need to take a laxative the night before the procedure.

After the colonoscopy, patients sometimes  feel  mild cramping or the sensation of gas pains, but that usually stops within an hour. Full recovery by the next day is normal and patients  resume regular activities.

An upper endoscopy (EGD) is a test that looks inside of the upper digestive system, which includes the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, the first part of the small bowel that attaches to the stomach.  Patients often complain of heartburn and may wonder if they have an ulcer. The procedure is simple – taking about 5 to 10 minutes.  The endoscope is a long flexible tube that can be swallowed. It transmits an image of the inside of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, so the physician can carefully examine the lining of these organs.

This information is provided by Dhiren Mehta, MD, a board certified gastroenterologist on the medical staff at Eastern Long Island Hospital.