Gastroenterology - dietetic services

Patients who have conditions or surgery that affect their digestive (gastrointestinal) system usually have special dietary requirements.

 

Gastroenterology dietitians specialise in identifying these requirements and working with patients to achieve and maintain optimum health. For a number of conditions, dietary control reduces or eliminates a patient’s symptoms.

 

Gastroenterology dietitians support patients to manage their condition through dietary modification, together with their medical treatment. They also provide nutritional counselling before and after gastrointestinal surgery for optimum health and recovery.

 

 

Who we provide a service to

 

The gastroenterology dietitians at Addenbrooke's provide services for both inpatients and outpatients at the hospital, with conditions such as the following:

 

Coeliac disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis

A gluten-free diet is currently the only treatment for coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. Dietitians educate and support people who have these conditions to ensure they meet their nutritional needs without consuming gluten. An unsuitable diet can lead to tiredness, iron deficiency, calcium deficiency, osteoporosis, abdominal pain, weight loss or an altered bowel habit. Other useful information can be found on the Coeliac UK website.

> Coeliac UK

 

 

 

Crohn’s disease

Dietitians provides both therapeutic treatment and nutritional counselling to patients who have Crohn’s disease. They identify and manage malnutrition, which is very common among people with Crohn’s Disease.

 

Dietitians can support people with Crohn’s Disease to achieve remission with specialised liquid diets, without the use of steroids or other medication. More information on Crohn’s disease can be found on the NACC and IBD club websites.

> NACC National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease

> IBD club

 

 

 

Ulcerative colitis

There is currently no established dietary treatment for ulcerative colitis. In general patients are recommended to follow healthy eating advice. Some people may find symptom relief from a low-fibre and or low lactose diet at times of active disease. Support from a dietitian is important to ensure a nutritionally adequate diet is maintained if such dietary exclusions are made. As with Crohn’s disease, nutritional support has a valuable role in this group of patients. More information can be found on the NACC and IBD club websites.

> NACC National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease

> IBD club

 

 

 

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

A dietetic led Irritable Bowel Syndrome Clinic has been established where the dietitian carries out an initial assessment for patients referred to the clinic from their GP with suspected IBS. The dietitian advises on dietary modification to help improve symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, wind and bloating. Patients may have a sensitivity to fibre or ferementable carbohydrates or a food intolerance which can exacerbate these symptoms. The dietitian refers patients on to a gastroenterology consultant or nurse if IBS is not the likely diagnosis or if dietary modification is unsuccessful.

 

 

 

Other conditions that can be helped by individually tailored dietary advice are pancreatitis, gastrectomy (stomach removal), intestinal failure, bowel resection to form an ileostomy or colostomy and other forms of gastro-intestinal surgery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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