A top to bottom look at inflammation throughout the gastrointestinal tract

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PRACTICE

A top to bottom look at inflammation throughout the gastrointestinal tract

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Guest writer

Oesophageal candidiasis and Circumferential ulceration in the midoesophagus,
Figure 1. Oesophageal candidiasis with thick creamy exudates. The main symptom is pain on swallowing. Figure 2. Circumferential ulceration in the midoesophagus, most likely due to medication (eg, minocycline or doxycycline given for acne)

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Inflammatory processes caused by pathogens, damaged cells or irritants occur at all levels of the gastrointestinal tract, from the oral to anorectal mucosa. In this article, gastroenterologist Alan Fraser brings together many loosely connected ideas and diagnoses that tend to be left out of other topics

Most doctors will have heard the complaint that “my gut feels inflamed”. The diagnosis is very unlikely to involve inflammation. Instead, the symptoms