What is a proctologist? What does he do?

Profession "proctologist" is on the list of the funniest specialties. It is believed that the object of studying this specialist is the body, which in a decent society is not remembered. At least until the moment when the services of this specialist will not be necessary for amateurs to joke on this profession. But everything is not so simple as it may seem at first glance, and the scope of what the proctologist treats is much wider than the narrow "sorting" humor.

Proctology as an area of medical knowledge examines the diagnosis, treatment, research and prevention of diseases of organs such as the direct intestine, colon and adjacent organs. Thus, what the proctologist treats, rather, refers to the gastrointestinal tract, and not to the anus.

But the diseases associated with the anus, also fall within the competence of such a specialist. And in general, this profession at the moment has the correct name - the coloproctology. And this concept is somewhat wider than the usual hearing. Than such a doctor differs from a proctologist, what he heals, and why there is a prefix "colo" in this name? Previously, his "field of activity" was purely rectum disease. At the moment, the scope of activity has also expanded to adjacent bodies, since often their diseases are closely interrelated and affect the large intestine.

There is another area to which the doctor-proctologist relates. What does this specialist treat except for diseases and inflammatory processes in the intestine? This area is delicate, called hemorrhoids - inflammation and thrombosis of hemorrhoidal veins located in the area of the anus. This disease is the leading among the proctologist patients.

When should a mandatory examination be performed by a specialist in this field of medicine? Despite the fact that the proctologist of the intestinal disease is treating, a compulsory visit to it is indicated not only to people suffering from any symptoms of these diseases. Inspection is necessary for the following categories of people:

- pregnant women in the third trimester or women after recent birth;

- women who entered the period of menopause;

- people suffering from excess weight;

- those who, for some reason, have been sitting for a long time (for example, because of a serious illness);

- those people whose relatives suffered from colorectal cancer, if their age is more than forty years.

Finding out what the proctologist is treating, you can distinguish the following symptoms when his consultation is extremely necessary. It:

- regular constipation or diarrhea;

- pain in the anus, which are activated when walking or sitting;

- edema in the anus;

- the appearance of blood in the feces;

- sensation of a foreign body in the anus;

- exit the hemorrhoidal node.

Now it is clear who is the proctologist that this doctor is treating . If you notice any of the above signs at home, then it's possible that your intestines are functioning intermittently, which means that you need a specific diagnosis and the appointment of a qualified treatment for such a specialist.