Description

Diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which include the organs from mouth to anus, along the alimentary canal, are the focus of this specialty. Physicians practicing in this field are called gastroenterologists. They have usually completed about eight years of pre-medical and medical education, a year-long internship (this is not a part of the residency), three years of an internal medicine residency, and two to three years in the gastroenterology fellowship. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are common. There is increasing appreciation of the importance of the immune system in the pathogenesis of a number of these diseases. This book covers basic aspects of innate and adaptive immunity in the gastrointestinal tract, molecular mechanisms of acute and chronic inflammation. The readership of this book includes clinicians, scientists, and students interested in the gastrointestinal tract.