What is a Gastroenterologist?

About Gastroenterologists

A Gastroenterologist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the digestive tract, or gastrointestinal (GI) tract as well as offering nutritional management. The organs and parts of the body treated by Gastroenterologists include the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and colon as well as the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts.

Gastroenterology is the study of the normal function and diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts, and liver, according to the American College of Gastroenterology.

Gastroenterologists are specialists in the structures and functions of the organs that are involved in digestion and the body’s metabolic processes including how food moves through the body, absorbs nutrients, and removes waste.

Gastroenterologists treat patients suffering from conditions including indigestion, nausea, and vomiting, abdominal pain, cancer (colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer,) constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sudden or unexplained weight loss, irritable bowel syndrome IBS, colitis, Crohn's disease, hemorrhoids, hiatal hernias and Malabsorption disorders (celiac disease, lactose intolerance.)

They perform diagnostic tests and exams to identify and provide treatment for diseases of the digestive tract including colonoscopy and endoscopy. Other tests can include colon screening exams, esophageal and intestinal dilation, hemostasis, polypectomy, liver biopsy, and endoscopic examinations of the esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines.

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