Neurogastroenterological conditions

Some of the most common symptoms of neurogastroenterological conditions include abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation, bloating or excessive gas, nausea and vomiting, acid reflux and early satiety. However, symptoms can vary greatly from condition to condition as they have different causes and affect different parts of the body.

Diagnostic methods vary depending on symptoms and which neurogastrointestinal condition is suspected. They can include blood or stool tests, endoscopy or biopsies. Many patients may need to undergo testing to measure the function of the gastrointestinal tract, including manometry (measuring pressure), pH monitoring (measuring acidity), defecography (bowel emptying scans), colon transit studies (measuring the speed or transit of bowel contents through the large bowel) and many other tests. All these tests can be performed at our GastroLab.

Similarly to the diagnostic methods, treatment differs depending on the type of disorder and its severity. The treatment of neurogastroenterological disorders may include dietary changes, medication such as neuromodulators that can treat chronic pain, prokinetics that stimulate gastrointestinal motility, laxatives, anti-inflammatory agents and many more. Patients may also require physiotherapy, especially in conditions which make it hard to pass bowel movements. As these conditions are often chronic or lifelong, psychological support is often central to successful treatment and is offered to most patients. Some conditions may be treated with surgical interventions.