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Conditions and Diseases > Digestive and Bowel Disorders Forum > Symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders
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Q: Symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders
asked by: DoctorQuestion on October 24th, 2009
Hi I'm a 20 year old male and for the past month i have had a big loss of appetite and i get nauseous when i eat and i have also lost 20 pounds. Is there any chance this is gallbladder disease? If not what else are some possible conclusions i can come to? I have an appointment on monday but i would like to know a little more before going so i can have them check more than one thing.


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Dr. Goce Aleksovski , MD
replied on October 26th, 2009
Digestive and Bowel Disorders Answer A7618
According to the symptoms you reported (loss of appetite, nausea after eating, high liver count), you might be experiencing a gastrointestinal disorder. Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) is less likely because it is usually accompanied with upper abdominal pain below the right ribcage which was not reported by you. More likely is that you might be experiencing gastritis (inflammation of the stomach). There might be several causes for gastritis including excessive production of gastric acid and presence of certain bacteria called Helicobacter pylori in the stomach.



You might want to visit a specialist for the gastrointestinal tract for a physical examination. If needed, gastroscopy (visualization method for the upper gastrointestinal tract) would be recommended. Blood tests might confirm the presence of antibodies against Helicobacter pylori which were produced due to the infection.


The treatment would depend on the results of the tests. If excessive production of gastric acid is detected, then medications such as proton inhibitor pump would be given to reduce the secretion. In case Helicobacter pylori are found, a combination of antibiotics would be given to try to kill the bacteria.


Please note that the results from the blood tests for Helicobacter pylori stay positive for six months after the treatment even though the bacteria might be already treated. Six months are needed for the antibodies used to detect the infection, to decrease their quantity in the blood.


Avoid taking coffee, spicy food and alcohol because they increase the production of gastric acid.




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