Gastroenterology

Treatment for hepatitis C should be offered to the sickest patients first, according to updated guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

In 2 recent studies, statins and aspirin have been associated with lower rates of progression of liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C.

According to research published online in theJournal of the American College of Surgeons, a new multidisciplinary approach to managing patients' post-colorectal surgery recovery results in shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, and lower medical costs.

A woman successfully treated with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for recurrent Clostridium difficile(C. difficile) from an overweight donor's stool found herself quickly gaining weight afterward to the point of obesity, reported a case published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Colorectal cancer survivors who smoke cigarettes were found to face more than twice the risk of death than non-smoking survivors, corroborating existing evidence that cigarette smoking is associated with colorectal cancer-specific mortality.

As electronic health records become more prevalent in the healthcare community, the number of software options doctors can choose from seems to range as widely as the practices themselves.

While many women (and men) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have experienced some level of sexual dysfunction, according to recent data, only less than one in 10 female patients revealed their physicians speak with them about this issue.

A new minimally invasive cell sampling device, Cytosponge-TFF3, coupled with assessment of trefoil factor 3 expressions, can successfully identify patients with reflux symptoms who warrant endoscopy to diagnose Barrett's esophagus.

This observational cohort study from New Zealand found that "gossipy" magazines are often subtly taken from your waiting room, while the "non-gossipy" magazines remain.

Following similar approvals in the United States and Canada, AbbVie has been granted marketing authorization by the European Commission for an all-oral, interferon-free combination drug for the treatment of genotypes 1 and 4 chronic hepatitis C infection.

Corticosteroid (steroid) is associated with an approximately 5-fold increase of venous thromboembolism in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a new study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

A systematic review recently reported that antidepressants were beneficial for GERD patients – curbing esophageal sensation and reducing functional chest pain.

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah recently discovered the mechanism potentially triggering pancreatic cancer from the defects resulting from extrusion, the process through which cells are squeezed out of overcrowded tissue to die.

Researchers recently evaluated the clinical utility of fecal concentration of elastase 1 as a means of identifying exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

According to findings presented at the 2014 Probiotics Throughout the Lifespan Symposium, there may be a relationship between 2 types of gut bacterium and multiple sclerosis (MS) development.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic version of AstraZeneca's heartburn blockbuster, Nexium.

As part of the American Gastroenterological Association's Winter Postgraduate Course, William D. Chey, MD, AGAF, from the University of Michigan, and Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, from the Mayo Clinic, discussed the best treatment course for patients with gastroparesis.

A review published in JAMA in January explored several factors surrounding traveler's diarrhea, a condition commonly encountered by people voyaging from a high-income to a lower- or middle-income country

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, WA, had recently discovered the correlation between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the steady increase in the diversity of viruses.

Assessing the quality of mounting pharmacological evidence, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has updated guidelines on the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

As new rules and regulations are applied in the health care, doctors are having to learn and adapt to make their practice survive and thrive.

Patients with gastrointestinal conditions can benefit from psychological counseling as well. The question is how much it can help and what it will do to help them with their symptoms.

For many gastrointestinal issues testing may not be sufficient to identify potential issues for patients and there may not be necessary treatments to help them get better. Work continues to improve both potential problems.

As part of the American Gastroenterological Association's Winter Postgraduate Course, William D. Chey, MD, AGAF, from the University of Michigan, and Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, from the Mayo Clinic, discussed the best treatment course for patients with gastroparesis.

The treatment of gastrointestinal conditions requires not only physical attention, but, in some cases, addressing psychological concerns as well.

"We really have entered this new era of direct acting antivirals, and as of this fall, we've finally laid to rest interferon in the grave that we've all been wanting to put it in, for more than 2 decades," said Jacqueline G. O'Leary, MD, MPH, during her presentation at the 2015 AGA Clinical Congress of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

"How do you move a glacier?" asked Lawrence Kosinski, MD, MBA, AGAF, FACG, managing partner of Illinois Gastroenterology Group (IGG) at the 2015 AGA Clinical Congress of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Many patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease will respond to proton pump inhibitors, but for those who don't the treatment options can vary as much as the symptoms themselves.

For gastroenterologists, treating patients with esophageal issues is part of their daily practice. The introduction of high-resolution manometry could prove to be a useful took when treating these patients.

"There are only 2 or 3 things I know for sure. Only 2 or 3 things. That's right. Of course, it's never the same things, and I'm never as sure as I'd like to be," nuggets of wisdom (from the novel "Bastard Out of Carolina," by Dorothy Allison) that Thomas Murray, Senior Director of Quality Measurement & Improvement, AGA, shared at the 2015 AGA Clinical Congress of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.