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Gastritis

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Gastritis
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Gastritis

Gastritis commonly refers to inflammation of the lining of the stomach, but the term is often used to cover a variety of symptoms resulting from stomach lining inflammation and symptoms of burning or discomfort. True gastritis comes in several forms and is diagnosed using a combination of tests. In the 1990s, scientists discovered that the main cause of true gastritis is infection from a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).


Symptoms of gastritis vary among individuals, and in many people there are no symptoms. However, the most common symptoms include:

. Nausea or recurrent upset stomach
. Abdominal bloating
. Abdominal pain
. Vomiting
. Indigestion
. Burning or gnawing feeling in the stomach between meals or at night
. Hiccups
. Loss of appetite
. Vomiting blood or coffee ground-like material
. Black, tarry stools

Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining. Weaknesses or injury to the mucus-lined barrier that protects your stomach wall allows your digestive juices to damage and inflame your stomach lining. A number of diseases and conditions can increase your risk of gastritis, including Crohn's disease and sarcoidosis, a condition in which collections of inflammatory cells grow in the body.


Risk factors


Factors that increase your risk of gastritis include:


Bacterial infection. Although infection with Helicobacter pylori is among the most common worldwide human infections, only some people with the infection develop gastritis or other upper gastrointestinal disorders. Doctors believe vulnerability to the bacterium could be inherited or could be caused by lifestyle choices, such as smoking and diet.

Regular use of pain relievers. Common pain relievers — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen (Aleve, Anapro

Treating the underlying cause of gastritis is the most effective way to reduce or resolve gastritis symptoms. For example, if the cause of gastritis is H. pylori, then treatment with appropriate antibiotics (usually a combination of amoxicillin and clarithromycin [Biaxin, Biaxin XL] plus bismuth subsalicylate [Pepto-Bismol]) should be effective to provide relief from symptoms.

If NSAIDs are the cause, then stopping the drug should be effective.

Other treatments often are used in addition to those that treat the specific cause of gastritis, many of which are over-the-counter or OTC, may reduce or stop symptoms of gastritis and allow gastric mucosal healing to begin regardless of the underlying cause. These medications include

. antacids (Maalox , Rolaids, and Alka-Seltzer),
. histamine (H2) blockers (famotidine [Pepcid AC], ranitidine [Zantac 75]), and
. PPI's or proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole [Prilosec], pantoprazole [Protonix], esomeprazole [Nexium]).
They all function by different mechanisms to reduce acid in the stomach but usually do not treat the underlying cause of gastritis.
https://www.webmd.com
https://www.mayoclinic.org
https://www.medicinenet.com
Gastritis

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