Chronic Diarrhea-Diagnosis & Treatment

Discusses how the doctor diagnoses and treats the various causes of chronic diarrhoea and is for patients and the public . It is the second in the series of two videos on chronic diarrhoea.

This video will attempt to answer the following QUESTIONS;
• What are alarm symptoms ?
• What the common investigations that are done ?
• What is the treatment ?

WORD INDEX:
• Alarm symptoms suggest that there may be a more serious underlying condition.
• Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional disorder with chronic abdominal pain and altered bowels. All investigations are normal.
• FODMAP is an abbreviation for fermentable carbohydrates that many people cannot digest properly.
• Celiac disease is a condition where there is an immune mediated allergy reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
• Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition where there is chronic inflammation of the intestines.
• Malabsorption is a condition where nutrients cannot be properly absorbed by the small intestine..
• Terminal ileum is the last part of the small intestine.
• BAM is abbreviation for bile acid malabsorption where bile acid produced by the liver , cannot be properly absorbed by the terminal ileum.

SUMMARY;
Referral to a specialist for comprehensive investigations is particularly indicated , if there are alarm symptoms. Management will depend on the cause.

The videos are easy to understand and tries to use everyday language as far as possible. The videos are full of images and follow a standard format of topic objective, word index, content and summary. Each topic covers diagnosis, investigation, management and prevention. Videos are an average of between 5 to 10 minutes. I created the videos, using my over 30 years of experience in managing patients with gut and liver problems . I am a gastroenterologist and hepatologist and was trained in Edinburgh and Tokyo and have worked in academia and the private sector.
As the adage goes “A picture is worth a thousand words”. I believe combining images and explanations using blackboards, helps one better understand a medical condition. With knowledge, a person gets a better sense of control, and hence is empowered to make informed decisions.