GI Insights

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) continues to be one of the leading causes of acute liver failure, and its prevalence is only increasing. That’s why Dr. Peter Buch speaks with leading expert Dr. Naga Chalasani, who talks about everything we need to know about DILI—from its phenotypes to common symptoms to look for in patients.

Acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) is a rare genetic condition characterized by severe, diffuse abdominal pain and a broad range of seemingly unrelated symptoms. AHP presents differently in each patient, with symptoms that mirror those of more common conditions, making it difficult to diagnose. Although AHP can be misleading, it can be easy to detect once you know what to look for. Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss AHP signs and symptoms and when a doctor should consider AHP in a patient is porphyria expert Dr. Manish Thapar, gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine in Philadelphia.

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has long been associated with the development of arthritis, which can be detected in up to 30 percent of IBD patients. So how can gastroenterologists and rheumatologists work together to detect and manage IBD-associated arthritis? To find out, Dr. Neil Nandi speaks with rheumatologist Dr. Sergio Schwartzman about IBD-associated arthritis.

Many IBD clinicians and patients talk about diet, but not many conversations happen about fitness. Based on the latest research, exercise may be one therapeutic tool in our kit that remains unexploited. That’s why IBD specialist Dr. Susan Kais joins Dr. Neil Nandi to walk us through key findings and how we can prescribe fitness for our IBD patients.

Since patients with chronic GERD may develop Barrett’s esophagus, screening and prevention are both critical. But who should we screen, and how do we screen? Joining Dr. Neil Nandi to answer those and other questions to help us better screen chronic GERD patients for Barrett’s esophagus is Dr. Gary Falk, Director of the Esophagology and Swallowing Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Once we’ve diagnosed a patient with Barrett’s esophagus, strict surveillance is necessary to help prevent the development esophageal cancer. But what do surveillance strategies look like according to the latest guidelines? Joining Dr. Neil Nandi to share how we can best maximize surveillance guidelines for Barrett's esophagus and apply some of the evolving technologies that are helping us do just that is Dr. Gary Falk, Director of the Esophagology and Swallowing Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

For a significant portion of our patients, pouchitis can be a frustrating and trying condition plagued with urgent diarrhea, incontinence, and even complications of fistula and stricture. Fortunately, a group of clinicians have gathered together to develop consensus guidelines on the endoscopic evaluation and clinical management of pouchitis and its potential complications. And who better to give us an in-depth review of the new guidelines than Dr. Jason Schairer, one of the authors of the guidelines.

How can we make the differentiation between pouchitis and cuffitis to provide the best possible care? And once we accurately identify and treat pouchitis, how can we manage surgical complications that may arise? Tune in to hear Dr. Jason Schairer from the Henry Ford Health System in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology discuss these FAQs with Dr. Neil Nandi.

An ongoing question for clinicians and patients alike is how diet can impact IBD treatment and management. Here to discuss this topic with Dr. Neil Nandi is Dr. James Lewis of the University of Pennsylvania IBD Center. Dr. Lewis recently conducted a clinical randomized trial that compared the impact of two diets on patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease symptoms, and now, Drs. Nandi and Lewis are diving into this study, the reasoning behind it, and its outcomes.

Many IBD patients and clinicians shy away from the topic of sexual health—and understandably so. Talking about sex in the clinic sadly remains a taboo, and there’s not many research studies exploring IBD and sexual health to use for guidance. But sexuality and intimacy are vital matters to discuss with our patients, which is why Dr. Jordan Axelrad joins Dr. Neil Nandi to share how we can facilitate an open and honest conversation with patients about their sexual health.