May 19, 2020

Studies Show COVID-19 Can Infect and Harm Digestive Organs

THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 -- The new coronavirus isn't just attacking the lungs: New research shows it's causing harm to the gastrointestinal tract, especially in more advanced cases of COVID-19.

A variety of imaging scans performed on hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed bowel abnormalities, according to a study published online May 11 in Radiology. Many of the effects were severe and linked with clots and impairment of blood flow.

May 5, 2020

Parent or Sibling With Colon Cancer? You May Need Colonoscopy Earlier

MONDAY, April 20, 2020 -- If colon cancer runs in your family, screening at age 40 might help catch the disease at an early stage, or even prevent it, specialists say.

But a new investigation suggests that that advice is rarely heeded among those who go on to develop colon cancer before age 50.

April 29, 2020

'Dead' Probiotic Bacteria Could Help Ease Irritable Bowel

THURSDAY, April 9, 2020 -- Probiotic supplements containing "killed" bacteria might help some people with irritable bowel syndrome find relief, a new study suggests.

Experts said the findings add to evidence that certain probiotics can help some people with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. And it's the first trial to test a probiotic with bacteria that were heat-killed -- which, the researchers say, could make the supplement more practical to use.

April 9, 2020

Mild COVID-19 Often Appears With Only Gastro Symptoms: Study

WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2020 -- When most people think of COVID-19, they imagine symptoms such as a dry cough and high fever. But new research out of China shows that a minority of cases appear with gastrointestinal symptoms only.

In about one-quarter of patients in the new study, diarrhea and other digestive symptoms were the only symptoms seen in mild COVID-19 cases, and those patients sought medical care later than those with respiratory symptoms.

April 3, 2020

FDA Pulls Heartburn Drug Zantac From Market

WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2020 -- All versions of the heartburn drug Zantac (ranitidine) have been pulled from the U.S. market due to possible contamination with a probable cancer-causing chemical, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

This is the latest step in an ongoing investigation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications, the agency noted.

March 30, 2020

Belly Fat Can Lead to a Sudden Attack of Pancreatitis: Study

TUESDAY, March 17, 2020 -- Obesity is not only tied to chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, researchers now say it's also linked to a painful condition known as acute pancreatitis.

"We were able to demonstrate that fat within the belly is rapidly degraded during acute [sudden-onset] pancreatitis, but not during diverticulitis [another condition that causes abdominal pain]," said researcher Vijay Singh. He's a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.