An artist’s rendering of M.U.S.C.’s Ashley River Tower.

Common Gastro Disease Occurs Even With High-Fiber Diet

February 6, 2012 – Eating a high-fiber diet does not lower a person's risk of diverticulosis, but a low-fiber diet might, according to a new study that contradicts what doctors have believed for decades. [Read complete article]

Tropical Trip OK for Most With Crohn's, Colitis

February 3, 2012 – Among people with inflammatory bowel disease — a chronic intestinal disorder that commonly takes the form of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis — those who travel to developing nations or tropical locales do not have a greater risk of intestinal infections than other travelers, according to a new study. [Read complete article]

MUSC Hopes to Launch Clinical Research Study for GERD Patients That Don't Respond to Drugs

Article by Dr. Donald Castell; Director, Esophageal Disorders Program

January 19, 2012 – It is generally accepted that approximately 40% of the U.S. population has symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In addition, for about 40% of those patients, their symptoms fail to respond to the major therapy of this condition, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). In this situation, a surgical procedure known as a laparoscopic fundoplication is often considered the next option. There has been considerable interest for years in the development of a less invasive surgical approach to this condition. [Read more]

Climate Tied to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk

January 11, 2012 – Living in a sunny climate appears to reduce women's risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, a large new study shows. [Researchers] found that women who lived in Southern regions that got a lot of sunlight had a 52% lower risk of being diagnosed with Crohn's disease by age 30 and a 38% lower risk of getting ulcerative colitis than those who lived in Northern regions. [Read complete article]

Resolve to Take Colon Cancer Test, Experts Say

January 11, 2012 – If you're 50 or older, consider making it a new year goal to get screened for colorectal cancer, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy suggests. Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers because most cases arise from precancerous growths in the colon called polyps. These can be found during a screening exam and removed before they turn into cancer. [Read complete article]