Do not ignore persistent change in bowel habits, says expert

LUCKNOW:Most of the UPites go for wrong treatment and take consultation from non-experts even when they are suffering from serious diseases.

Professor UC Ghoshal of department of gastroenterology at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) said, “The survey conducted in Jaunpur revealed that of the 17% of people who were suffering from various types of stomach ailments, only 3% of them went to an MBBS doctor for treatment while 5% went to homoeopathic, 8% to ayurvedic practitioner and 1% went for Unani treatment. No one came to super specialist or specialist for consultation.”

Ailments like inflammatory bowel disease are confused with ordinary stomach disease by most of the people, the symptoms like frequent diarrhoea, fever and fatigue, blood in stool, abdominal pain and cramping, unintended weight loss and reduced appetite must not be ignored as they can be indicators of inflammatory bowel disease.

Professor Ghoshal said, “See the doctor immediately if there is a persistent change in bowel habits. Although inflammatory bowel disease usually isn’t fatal, it’s a serious disease that, in some cases, may cause life-threatening complications.”

He said, “Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of digestive tract. It’s of two types. ”