Acidity and GERD: Beyond the Antacid Bottle
Reaching for an antacid several times a week is not a solution — it is a symptom. Persistent reflux damages the oesophagus and occasionally hides something more serious.
Read articleAbout the Medical Gastroenterology department
Medical gastroenterology looks after the oesophagus, stomach, intestine, liver, pancreas and biliary system without an operation wherever possible. Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy is the department's central tool — used to find the cause of bleeding, remove polyps, dilate strictures and take biopsies.
Acid peptic disease, fatty liver and irritable bowel syndrome dominate the outpatient clinic. Alcohol-related liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are both rising, and are frequently discovered incidentally on an ultrasound performed for another reason — which is exactly the moment when intervention still works.
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is the department's emergency presentation. A patient vomiting blood or passing black stools needs urgent resuscitation and endoscopy, both of which are available on site.
Conditions we treat
The presentations seen most often in this department. If your symptom is not listed, book a consultation anyway — the clinic will redirect you if another speciality fits better.
- Acid reflux, gastritis and peptic ulcer
- Fatty liver and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
- Alcohol-related liver disease and cirrhosis
- Hepatitis B and hepatitis C
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Chronic constipation and diarrhoea
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Pancreatitis
- Difficulty swallowing
Procedures and services
- Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
- Colonoscopy and polypectomy
- Endoscopic haemostasis for bleeding ulcers and varices
- Variceal band ligation
- Oesophageal dilatation
- Liver disease assessment and staging
- Ascitic tapping and therapeutic paracentesis
- Helicobacter pylori testing and eradication
Technology and support
Equipment matters only when it is available at the moment of need. These services sit on the same campus, with laboratory and imaging cover round the clock.
- Video endoscopy and colonoscopy systems
- Endoscopic haemostasis accessories
- Ultrasound and CT abdomen
- Liver function and viral marker testing on site
When to seek urgent care
Do not wait for an outpatient appointment if any of the following applies. Call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department, which is open 24 hours and does not require an appointment.
- Vomiting blood or passing black, tarry stools
- Difficulty swallowing that is getting worse
- Unintended weight loss with abdominal pain
- Yellow eyes with fever and abdominal pain
- Abdominal swelling with breathlessness
Frequently asked questions
Is endoscopy painful?
Endoscopy is uncomfortable rather than painful and takes only a few minutes. A throat spray numbs the gag reflex, and light sedation can be given if you are anxious. You should fast for six hours beforehand.
I have fatty liver on ultrasound but no symptoms. Does it matter?
Yes. Fatty liver is a warning sign of insulin resistance and, in a proportion of people, progresses to inflammation, fibrosis and cirrhosis. Weight reduction of seven to ten percent, control of blood sugar and lipids, and stopping alcohol reverse most early cases.