Miami-based Center for Digestive Medicine treats patients for a variety of gastrointestinal diseases.
A center representative offered insights into some of the more common GI diseases:
1. Acid reflux: Gastroenterologists treat acid reflux through endoscopy. Patients will often experience severe heartburn, chest pain or difficulty breathing.
2. Stomach ulcers: Center physicians will prescribe antibiotics, acid suppressants or cytoprotective agents to treat ulcers. That said if the treatments aren't successful, the ulcers could be symptomatic of a more complex issue such as Crohn's disease or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
3. Abdominal cramps: The causes for cramps are diagnosed through a colonoscopy or an equivalent procedure. The Center for Digestive Medicine suggests people 45 years or older start screening for colon cancer.