Marriane Williams is an extremely experienced dietician, innovator, digital technology advocate and winner of the NHS England Allied Health Professional of the Year prize for 2018.   In this epsiode, Marianne shares her wealth of knowledge around all things IBS to discuss initial dietary management, the low FODMAPs diet, the role of probiotics, and gives us some great advice about how we can maximise our (often short) patient consultations with newly diagnosed IBS patients.  Marianne also discusses her innovative dietetic-led gastroenterology clinic for IBS patients with us.&nbs ..read more

In this episode Charlie Andrews speaks to Dr Kevin Barrett about IBD flare management.  On average, 50% of patients will flare annually, and often the GP surgery is the first port of call.  We therefore need to know how to assess and manage patients presenting with symptomatic IBD.  Kevin Barrett, IBD clinical champion for IBD for the RCGP and Crohns and Colitis UK (2017-2021) shares his wealth of knowledge about IBD flare management.  We discuss how if can affect patient's quality of life, common symptoms of IBD flare, calprotectin testing and the management of IBD flare ..read more

In this episode, Charlie Andrews speaks to Dr Kevin Monahan, lead author for the joint guidelines published by the BSG and ACPGBI in July 2022 outlining the role of FIT testing in patients with symptoms suggestive of colorectal cancer.  These guidelines have informed how we use FIT in primary care, and in this episode he asks Dr Monahan how this guideline has changed clinical practice, they discuss when it should be used and what to do if you have ongoing concerns about your patient's symptoms.  In addition, they discuss specific situations such as iron deficient anaemia, rectal blee ..read more

Did you know that according to the British Liver Trust, up to 20% of the general population has non-alcoholic liver disease ('fatty liver disease') and the prevalence is predicted to rise over the coming years.  Morbidity associated with this can be significant, with a proportion of patients with fatty liver disease developing fibrosis of the liver as the disease progresses.  Diagnosing fatty liver disease and identifying those at risk of progression to fibrosis is therefore important.  In this episode I speak to Dr Helen Jarvis, a GP with a specialist interest in liver disease ..read more

In primary care, we are increasingly using FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Testing) to assess the risk of bowel cancer in patients with lower gastrointestinal symptoms, whilst the latest PCN DES IIF (Impact and Investment Fund) has given FIT a prominent role in risk stratifying 2-week wait referrals to secondary care.   In this episode, Mo Thoufeeq, a gastroenterologist in Sheffield, talks to me about what FIT is, how it differs from previously used FOBT (and why it is a more effective test!), and how we are using FIT in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.  He shares his top ..read more

I speak to Chris Lamb about IBD.  Chris was lead author on the BSG IBD guidelines which were published in 2019.  The full guidance can be found here:  BSG-IBD-Guidelines-2019.pdf Chris is a fount of knowledge for all things related to IBD and I have a fascinating chat with him about the guidance and how these relate to primary care - we range over all aspects of IBD from diagnosis to management and everything in between.   ..read more

 In this episode, I speak to Professor Ramesh Arasaradnam.  Ramesh co-authored the BSG guidelines on chronic diarrhoea in 2018, and is a fount of knowledge in this area.  ..read more

Dyspepsia is a common presenting complaint in primary care, and encompasses a range of symptoms including GORD, nausea, and epigastric pain.  Having an approach to these patients is vital given how commonly we see these symptoms, and Mike Burkitt joins me in this episode to provide a really useful overview of dyspepsia, and how we can approach this symptom in clinical practice.  Mike also gives his thoughts on what to do when the endoscopy comes back normal in a symptomatic patient.   Useful resources for dyspepsia include:https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/dyspepsia-unidentifi ..read more

Dr Charlie Andrews discusses coeliac disease. Following the last episode on iron deficiency anaemia this episode focuses on coeliac disease, what it is, NICE guidance, when to suspect, how to test and a non biopsy pathway to diagnosis. First though a history lesson ..read more

Dr Charlie Andrews discusses iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) with Dr Sophie Nelson, a GP from Manchester with a special interest in gastroenterology and a self proclaimed geek when it comes to IDA. Dr Sophie Nelson is a committee member of the PCSG This podcast was recorded soon after the publication of updated guidelines for the management of IDA in adults by the BSG ..read more