Symptoms and Treatments

What is Gastritis?

Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach, etymologically derived from the Latin gastricus meaning stomach, plus the suffix –itis to mean inflammation. It is not a single disease but has various conditions that share the same inflamed condition of the stomach lining.

Description

Gastritis is more a condition than a disease but all the conditions share the same irritation and/or inflammation in the stomach’s interior lining causing pain and discomfort in the abdomen medically termed as dyspepsia.  Its onset can be sudden but brief in the case of acute gastritis or long lasting in the case of chronic gastritis.  It can also be just a symptom of some other medical ailment.  It is a common medical problem where up to 10% of the people in the emergency rooms of hospitals suffering abdominal pains have either forms of gastritis.

Causes and Risk Factors of Gastritis

Acute gastritis figures commonly as a stomach upset following aspirin intake on an empty stomach or excessive alcohol consumption.  The helicobacter pylori bacteria commonly infect the stomach’s lining that leads to chronic gastritis.  The condition is often symptomatic of other illness and can be triggered by potent medication that irritates stomach lining, infections, stresses and surgical conditions.

Strong prescriptive medication can irritate the stomach lining especially when taken before meals or on an empty stomach.  The following can cause or increase the risk of getting gastritis:

• Aspirin
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs of NSAIDs such as naproxen and ibuprofen
• Steroids like prednisone
• Iron and potassium diet supplements
• Chemotherapy medication

Surgical and medical conditions can increase the risk as well such as

• Autoimmune diseases
• Pernicious anemia
• Chronic vomiting
• Physical and emotional stress
• Post-surgical procedures on the stock like endoscopy, appendectomy and other surgeries to remove part of the stomach or intestines

Accidental or deliberate swallowing of chemicals and objects can also cause gastritis:

• Corrosive acids and lye
• Alcoholic beverages, wines and liquors in excess
• Swallowed foreign object like clips, pins, etc.

Bacterial and viral infections are known to cause stomach irritation and inflammation.

• Parasites and worms
• Fungal or yeast infections from contaminated foods
• Tuberculosis
• Syphilis
• Bacterial infection from the H. pylori being the most common while other bacterial that cause pneumonia and bladder infections can cause gastritis as well.

For some people with weak stomach linings to begin with, eating citrus fruits on an empty stomach can induce secretion of stomach acids that irritate the stomach with no other contents to digest.

Symptoms of Gastritis

The most complained-about symptoms are abdominal distress and pain that can include

• Persistent belching
• Abdominal bloating and feeling of fullness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Burning sensation in the upper belly

In more severe cases, you can expect blood streaks in the vomit, a bloody bowel and exceptionally foul smelling feces.  In addition, if you suffer any of the following, you need to check with your doctor right away

• Fever with abdominal pain
• Fainting spells
• Palpitation, rapid heart beat and unexplained sweating
• Vomiting with copious amounts of blood
• Chest pains
• Shortness of breath
• Pallor

Diagnosis of Gastritis

No lab tests can detect a diagnosis of gastritis and they are often not necessary.  If tests are undertaken, it is to eliminate medical conditions known to exhibit similar symptoms present in gastritis.  Often, a complete medical history habits and lifestyles as well as any medication you are taking are enough to make a confident diagnosis of gastritis. It is important that you tell your doctor how any drug is taken and what measures you’ve taken to address your gastritis condition.

Some clinical procedures that can confirm and rule out other medical conditions outside of gastritis can be done, such as:

• Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy:  Using a thin tube with a tiny camera inserted through your mouth to make a visual inspection of the stomach lining and may even take tissue samples called biopsy to rule out anymore serious conditions like ulcer or cancer.
• Blood test:  This test can rule out anemia if your vomit or stools has blood in them.
• Stool Test:  This can detect the H.pylori bacteria and show if there’s blood.
• ECG Test:  This is done if your gastritis complaint comes with irregular or rapid heart beat as well as chest pains.

Other tests can be prescribed like Urinalysis, and pregnancy tests, if warranted by the gastroenterologist.

Treatment of Gastritis

Gastritis treatment is commonly made to reduce stomach acid secretion which should relieve the symptoms and promote healing of the stomach lining.  Avoiding alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea and carbonated beverages also helps as well as abstaining from smoking.  Shifting to other medication you need to take but with less corrosive or irritating properties to the stomach lining as may be prescribed by your doctor.

Ascertaining the cause of your gastritis condition helps to narrow the treatment options.  Once the cause is removed, the condition disappears. Most mild to moderate gastritis symptoms can be treated at home with OTC drugs.  But a diagnosis from your doctor must first be obtained.

• If it is caused by the H.pylori bacteria, a prescription of antibiotics should help clear up the infection.
• Histamine or H2 blockers like Tagemet and Zantac work to block the release of stomach acids.
• For more severe cases, proton pump inhibitors or PPIs are powerful blockers that inhibit acid production in the stomach.
• Antiemetics are prescribed to control nausea and vomiting.