Pediatric gastroenterologist in Kharkiv

If the child suffers from pain in the abdomen, loss of appetite, nausea after eating, it is recommended to visit the children’s gastroenterology center for examination.

The development of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract may be triggered by the following:

• viruses;
• bacteria;
• fungi;
• parasites.

The normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract can be affected by stresses and excessive physical or intellectual stress, systematic unbalanced nutrition, unfavorable ecological environment, ingestion of toxins and allergens with food or water. Therefore, it is important to monitor the health of the child and, if anxious symptoms appear, consult a good pediatric gastroenterologist.

Only a qualified doctor can diagnose the condition of a young patient, determine the cause of the disorder and prescribe effective treatment.

What symptoms should be the reason to visit a pediatric gastroenterologist?

It is recommended to visit a pediatric gastroenterologist when one of the following symptoms occurs:

• frequent constipation;
• diarrhea;
• nausea, aggravated after eating;
• vomiting;
• loss of appetite;
• drastic weight change;
• constant feeling of hunger;
• pain in the abdominal area;
• belching;
• increased gas formation.

Newborns suffering from gastroenterological diseases, refuse to eat and quickly become exhausted. Atony, apathy, increased drowsiness may also indicate the presence of problems with the digestive tract. An indirect symptom is rash on the skin as the reaction may occur due to poisoning with food allergens.

What does a pediatric gastroenterologist check?

The visit of the children’s gastroenterologist starts with the history taking. The doctor listens to complaints, examines the oral cavity for the presence of ulcers, stomatitis, other disorders, and palpates the stomach.

Pediatric gastroenterologists often deals with the following diseases:

• gastritis;
• gastroduodenitis;
• salmonellosis;
• dysbacteriosis;
• congenital malformations of the digestive tract;
• pancreatitis;
• biliary dyskinesia.

Consultation of a children’s gastroenterologist takes place in the presence of adults (parents or guardians) and does not cause discomfort to the child. An accurate diagnosis requires additional examinations.

What tests are required for a pediatric gastroenterologist?

In the process of diagnosing disorders, a good pediatric gastroenterologist can refer a patient to the following studies:

• general urine and blood tests;
• blood test for biochemistry;
• analysis of feces (coprogram);
• ultrasound examination;
• radiography of the abdominal cavity;
• gastroscopy.

Based on the test results, appropriate treatment is prescribed. It involves not only taking medications that normalize the functions of the liver, stomach and intestines, but also a change in diet. For example, the doctor may recommend to refuse from farinaceous and smoked products, carbonated drinks, and replace them with boiled vegetables, fresh fruits, green tea. But to achieve a quick result and complete recovery of the baby’s digestive tract, it is important to consult a doctor on time: the earlier the diagnosis is made and the treatment is started, the less is the risk of complications.

Treatment of biliary dyskinesia in Kharkiv

Pediatricians consider biliary dyskinesia to be the most frequent children’s pathology among the biliary system diseases. Due to disordered motor activity of bile ducts muscular system, bile enters duodenum improperly. As a result, biliary engorgement occurs as well as malperformance of gastrointestinal tract.

Parents usually discover what biliary dyskinesia in children is only during the visit to gastroenterologist with their child having severe pains in the midriff. Parents usually relate such occasional pain sense to low-quality food eaten by their child (fatty, spicy and fried dishes). However, child’s feeling ill is caused by problems in gall bladder. Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting are also among dyskinesia symptoms.

In order to make a diagnosis, gastroenterologist examines child’s stomach, listens to complaints, refers to make tests (ultrasonography of abdominal cavity, urine test). If diagnosis is confirmed, biliary dyskinesia in children can be treated by means of diet therapy, physical therapy and anti-ache and anti-inflammation drugs. If the disease is not treated, it may result in development of reactive pancreatitis — inflammation of pancreas gland.

Treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in children in Kharkiv

Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease in children manifest themselves as water brash and acid aftertaste. Sometimes the disease is accompanied with morning hoarseness, short cough, belching, аs well as hissing respiration. All these suggests that there is an inflammatory process in child’s esophagus.

A distinction is made between pathological and physiological gastroesophageal reflux disease. The first one promotes prolonged feeling of consequences of something sour thrown into esophagus resulting in inflammation of esophagus mucosa. The second one is periodical feeling of consequences of throwing gastric contents into esophagus. Irrelevant the type of reflux, the disease must be treated. And, of course, only under doctor’s supervision.

The gastroenterologists at “ON Clinic” know what GERD in children is and how to treat it. During the visit, the doctor determines the extent of disease and effective treatment methods for child’s esophagus diseases. On doctor’s order, it is necessary to do blood and urine tests, make X-ray of abdominal cavity (stomach, intestines, gall bladder) and endoscopy. Timely treatment will help to decrease the symptoms of disease. It is contraindicative to self-medicate. It may result in the development of complications: ulcer, gastritis, esophagitis, other diseases of esophagus and gastrointestinal tract.

Irritable bowel syndrome – treatment in children in Kharkiv

Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional disorder of gastrointestinal tract. The disease may develop in children in the setting of some infection, malnutrition, hereditary and psychological factors, poor sleep and endocrine diseases. Sometimes the development of disease can be caused by stresses, vegetovascular dystonia, аs well as adverse effects during administration of some drugs.

The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in children are the occurrence of stomachache, sense of compression and distention, nausea, vomiting, belching, аs well as boogy and diarrhea. Sometimes there is some mucus in fecal matter. In order to make a diagnosis, gastroenterologist refers to do tests of blood, urine and fecal matter, аs well as to make ultrasonography of internals (liver, spleen, gall bladder and pancreas). According to indications, the doctor may order to undergo the examination of duodenum and gaster (gastroscopy, echoscopy, endoscopy,).

Digestive disorder in large bowel (post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome) in children may transform quickly into chronic form. That is why it is necessary to visit doctor at the first signs of disease development. To treat this pathology, the doctor selects medicamentous therapy (in particular, sedating and anti-inflammatory medication, probiotics), corrects child’s food ration, аs well as prescribes measures for improvement of intestinal motility (physical exercises, walks).

Gastric ulcer in children – treatment in Kharkiv

Ulcer disease usually has chronicity and may occur not only in adults but also in children and teens. The causes of ulcer may be different, starting from stress and ending with gastritis and gastroduodenitis. The disease often develops in the setting of malnutrition, problems with the gastrointestinal tract. The children with chronic diseases of digestive system are in risk zone. In most cases, ulcer is caused by organism parasitizing by bacteria Helicobacter pylori.

When to visit doctor in case of gastric ulcer in children? One should visit gastroenterologist at the first suspicion of pathology. Among the symptoms are pains in midriff which ease after eating. Children may have increased appetite, “sour” eructation, nausea, water brash, feeling of overeating as well as constipations. Sometimes the ulcer may proceed without any symptoms. That is why it is necessary to undergo routine examinations by pediatric gastroenterologist.

Ulcer treatment involves diet and drug therapy. According to indications, the doctor prescribes vitamin therapy. In neglected cases, operative intervention (surgery) is necessary.

If the disease is not treated, ulcer increases in size and affects stomach walls more severely. It may result in such complications as bleeding, perforation (formation of opening in the intestine or stomach), penetration of a stomach ulcer (spread of ulcer outside the stomach walls).

Lactose intolerance in children

In most cases, lactose intolerance in babies occurs in case of feeding with mother’s milk or milk formulas. If milk sugar (lactose) is not digested by organism, digestive malfunctioning may be observed. This substance is abundant in milk of big cattle. That is why diagnostics of lactose intolerance may be necessary not only for infants, but for children past one year and even for teens.

Among the pathology symptoms is onset of watery diarrhea with sour odor, meteorism, tympanitic resonance, as well as torminas (stomachache). Unfortunately, it is impossible to manage this disease in infancy. For lactose breaking down, lactase is required which can be produced by human organism only. However, a child should be consulted by pediatrician and gastroenterologist; these doctors can help to select menu without any lactose products (or with its minimal content).

In case of proper dietary intervention, it is possible to minimize the symptoms of lactose deficit. However, doctor is the only one who can diagnose the pathology. As sometimes the problem can be caused by insufficient fat content in milk what can also lead to discomfort in child’s body (distention, diarrhea).

Celiac disease in children

Digestive disorder caused by intolerance of gluten products is called celiac disease. The symptoms in children may pop up and be similar to other diseases (allergy, anemia, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract). In most cases, they are allergic and autoimmune in nature. Intolerance of gluten which is contained in cereals and sausages causes nutritional disorders in children.

How does celiac disease manifest in children? As a rule, a child may be diagnosticated with frothy stool with strong smell, atonia, irittation, аs well as inflammation in oral cavity, abdominal distention. Also one can observe the loss of appetite, negative attitude towards the food. In the setting of constant nutritional deficiency in child, anemia (iron deficiency), aphthous stomatitis, diabetes mellitus type 1 may develop, аs well as delayed sexual and physical development.

What to do in case your child has celiac disease? The treatment of disease is selected by gastroenterologist. A child needs rigid gluten-free diet (no gluten-containing products in ration). This will help to decrease pathology symptoms and enhance the quality of life of the little patient. Absence of gluten in food improves the action of the bowels, promotes proper weight gain. During the visit, if necessary, the child may undergo diagnostics of digestive tract in order to prevent the development of digestive system diseases.

You can make an appointment to the children’s gastroenterologist by contacting the “ON Clinic Kharkiv” by telephone number. Here you will find a modern equipment of the gastroenterology department and qualified doctors.