What Is Gastritis?

Gastritis Signs And Symptoms

The goal of this article is to answer the question what is gastritis and to provide basic and introductory information about gastritis signs and symptoms, and gastritis treatment in easy-to-understand, non-medical terms. Always remember that your best source of information about gastritis or anything related to your health is your doctor.

What Is Gastritis?

The word gastritis actually refers to several stomach problems that all have one thing in common: inflammation somewhere in the lining of the stomach. Gastritis symptoms can be caused by a bacterial infection, an injury, the use of certain pain relievers, alcohol abuse or even drinking too much caffeine.

A stomach ulcer is a type of gastritis.

When gastritis pain comes on suddenly or unexpectedly, it's called acute gastritis. But it may also develop slowly, in which case it's called chronic gastritis.

Gastritis Symptoms

Chronic gastritis sometimes causes no symptoms at all. Acute gastritis is more likely to come on quickly and trigger burning pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen. It is often mistaken for sour stomach or indigestion. The pain may either lessen or worsen after a meal.

Other gastritis signs and symptoms include:

• pain in the abdominal area,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• unexplained loss of appetite,
• unexpected weight loss, and
• a feeling of being unusually full or bloated after eating.

Dangerously serious cases of gastritis may cause:

• internal bleeding
• vomiting with blood
• extremely dark, tarry-looking stools.

Such gastritis symptoms may indicate of a bleeding ulcer or a perforation in your stomach. A bleeding ulcer is a medical emergency and requires immediate attention.

Causes of Gastritis

The walls of the stomach are protected by a mucus-lined barrier that's so tough it's not affected or eroded by the potent, corrosive digestive juices of the stomach. Typically, gastritis occurs when the stomach lining is damaged or weakened by one of a number of causes, including the following.

A bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (or H. pylori) exists in the stomachs of about half the people in the world, but most never experience a problem. Some people, however, get gastritis when H. pylori secretes a substance which breaks down the stomach's inner protective coating, making inflammation more likely.

Use of pain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may reduce a key substance that helps preserve the protective lining of your stomach. NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve).

Excessive alcohol use irritates and erodes your stomach lining, so your stomach becomes more susceptible to damage from digestive juices.

Stress from injury, surgery, burns or serious infections can trigger gastritis.

A condition called bile reflux disease occurs when bile from the gallbladder backs up from the small intestine into your stomach. This is normally prevented by a sphincter muscle called a pyloric valve, but if the valve isn't working properly, bile can seep through it. The result is inflammation and possibly chronic gastritis.

A rare condition called autoimmune gastritis results causes your own immune system to attack your stomach. This can wear away the stomach's protective lining, leading to gastritis.

Many people believe emotional stress is a cause of gastritis, but recent research has been unable to make a clear connection between the two. It's more likely that people under extreme stress eat poorly, smoke, and drink a lot of alcohol and caffeine: all of which can combine to cause gastritis.

Gastritis Treatment

There are several treatment options for gastritis. When you and your doctor determine the cause of your gastritis, it's usually fairly easy to relieve.

A number of medications, both prescription and over the counter, are available. These reduce stomach acid, which irritates inflamed areas.

If your gastritis is caused by a Helicobacter pylori infection, you'll need a prescription for antibiotics and possibly an acid blocker.

In general, you should avoid hot, spicy foods if you have gastritis.

Gastritis is not a serious threat to health and it improves quickly with treatment. However, in come cases, gastritis can lead to stomach cancer. Additionally, when a stomach ulcer progresses to the point where it becomes a "perforation," or a hole in the stomach, it is certainly a medical emergency.

Talk to your doctor about the best course of treatment for you, and don't try to treat gastritis on your own.