Dr Mark Swaim Underlines Some Of The Major Medical Conditions Related To Hepatology

Hepatology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, study, diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases that affect the gallbladder, biliary tree, pancreas, and the liver. The Greek words’ hepatikos’ and ‘logia’ are the sources from which ‘hepatology’ stems. The two words mean ‘liver’ and study’, respectively. Dr Mark Swaim points out that viral hepatitis and alcohol-related liver diseases are some of the ailments that hepatologists deal with and treat most frequently. Dr. Mark W. Swaim is a gastroenterologist in Jackson, Tennessee. He has been in practice for more than 20 years. His specialty subspecialty includes general gastroenterology, hepatology, and liver transplantation.

 Hepatitis affects millions of people around the world and can often cause long-term problems in the form of liver cancer, liver transplant, etc. Hepatitis B and C are, in particular, thought to be major causes of liver cancer in individuals. Alcohol abuse, on the other hand, has been linked to conditions such as liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Dr Mark Swaim points out that these are some of the common diseases and ailments that are diagnosed, treated and managed by hepatologists.  Hepatology is often considered to be a sub-specialty of gastroenterology, and deals with a host of minor and severe medical conditions.

Here are some of the key medical conditions treated by hepatologists according to Dr Mark Swaim:

• Diseases of the liver caused by excessive consumption of alcohol, such as liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and fatty liver disease. the deeper layers of the bowel. Dr Swaim is a gastroenterologist, and hence can diagnose and treat a variety of digestive disorders, including Crohn’s disease. This medical condition can be extremely painful and debilitating, and might lead to life-threatening complications as well.
• Viral hepatitis infections such as hepatitis A, B, C and E that affect millions of people every year. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C together cause more than 80% of all liver cancer cases.
• Liver injuries of various kinds and gastrointestinal bleeding caused by portal hypertension, which is linked to such injuries.
• Liver Cancer, also referred to as hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a disease that usually occurs in people over fifty years of age. The cancer of liver can be cause due to scarring or cirrhosis of the liver..
• Jaundice, which is also known as icterus. High bilirubin levels cause greenish and yellowish pigmentation of the patient’s skin.
• Some infections common in tropical areas and countries such as schistosomiasis, kala-azar and hydatid cyst.
• Pancreatitis, particularly when it is caused by gallstones or excessive alcohol consumption on the part of the patient. The key symptom of pancreatitis is a severe pain in the upper abdomen that might spread to the back of a person. People suffering from this ailment may also have nausea, fever, and vomiting.
• Long-term damage to the pancreas or biliary tract that is caused by cancer, infection, bleeding, alcohol or some kind of obstruction.
• Drug metabolism and genetic or metabolic liver disease.
• Crohn’s Disease, which basically is a chronic and lifelong inflammatory bowel ailment that takes place when certain parts of the digestive system develop deep sores and becomes swollen.

Further details about common medical conditions related to hepatology can easily be found on the web.