About Gastroenterology and Digestive Diseases

The gastrointestinal tract extends from the mouth to the rectum. It's purpose - absorption of nutrients and fluid, and excretion of waste - can only be achieved by the action of propelling food throughout its length. Unfortunately, disturbances of this function lead to a wide variety of common disorders - difficulty in swallowing, gastro-esophageal reflux, vomiting, obstruction, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, and constipation.

There are, of course, other, more serious diseases of the digestive tracts: inflammatory processes (e.g. esophagitis, gastritis, enteritis, Crohn's disease, colitis, and proctitis), ulceration (e.g. mouth ulcers, gastric or duodenal ulcers [together called peptic ulcers], and ulcerative colitis), and tumors (e.g. cancer of the esophagus, stomach, and colorectal cancer).

Gastroenterology and Digestive Clinical Trials at Novartis

Novartis Pharmaceuticals has selected the functional bowel disorders as their main target for research in this area. They comprise conditions in which the motility of the stomach and intestines is altered and there is a change in the sensitivity of the gut:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
This syndrome, or collection of symptoms, comprises altered bowel function combined with abdominal pain that is usually relieved with a bowel movement. There may be bloating, together with diarrhea or constipation.

Chronic constipation
This is a symptom that has different meanings to different people. Usually it means infrequent bowel movements, but it may also refer to a decrease in the volume or weight of stool, the need to strain to have a movement, a sense of incomplete evacuation, or the need for enemas, suppositories or laxatives in order to maintain regularity.

Functional dyspepsia, or indigestion
These are the terms used to describe discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen or chest, usually after meals, without actual stomach disease. The pain may come and go. For some people it can be relieved by food, while for others it occurs after eating. Alternatively, it can have no relation to food at all. The stomach may feel full soon after starting to eat, so that it is difficult to finish a meal, or there may be an uncomfortable sense of fullness or bloating after a meal.

Gastro-esophageal reflux disorder (GERD)
The main cause of GERD is weakening of the valve-like structure at the lower end of the esophagus, where it enters the stomach, which allows stomach contents to leak back into the lower part of the esophagus. The main symptoms are persistent heartburn, often with acid regurgitation and belching.

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