Gastritis - How To Avoid Stomach Complaints?

Gastritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It is relatively common, sometimes with a clear clinical picture, but often there are no complaints. Chronic gastritis is more common, which develops gradually and with a poorer picture. Acute gastritis is rapidly evolving and provokes serious complaints.

 

The causes of gastritis are complex. Most often, the pathogenesis involves improper diet, chronic use of certain medications, chronic alcohol intake, Helicobacter pylori infection and others. The latter is considered a serious factor not only for gastritis, but also for other gastrointestinal diseases. About half of the world's population is considered a carrier of this bacterium. In some people it provokes inflammatory changes, in others - peptic ulcer disease, and in some cases it leads to malignant changes. The determining factor for the evolution of such an infection is not one. There is certainly a genetic predisposition, and other risk factors in everyday life contribute to this.
 

One such factor is the use of medication. Most often we associate stomach diseases with taking aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They impair the production of mucosal protective factors, ensuring adequate blood supply and this provokes pathological changes. Preparations containing corticosteroids, iron, chemotherapeutics and others can have an irritating effect on the mucosa. Alcohol abuse has a direct irritant effect, provokes an increase in the acidity of gastric juice. Smoking has a similar effect.

 

Bile reflux also has an adverse effect. Normally, bile is excreted in the intestinal tract and serves to absorb fat. Thanks to the sphincter system, it does not normally return to the stomach, but this is possible with pathological changes.
 

Many other chemicals can provoke inflammation. Severe acute gastritis, for example, occurs when ingesting corrosive substances - bases or acids. Stress is a serious factor in the pathogenesis of many diseases and also plays a role here. It affects both the blood supply and immunity, and also predisposes to other risk factors. By stress for the body, however, we do not mean only mental. This is also the case with injuries related to serious blood loss, severe operations, burns. Gastritis is also observed in systemic diseases of varying severity, especially in liver or kidney failure.
 

Autoimmunity can interfere here and provoke inflammation due to the attack of one's own cells by the immune system. Usually in these cases there are concomitant autoimmune diseases. Disorders in the production of factors associated with the absorption of vitamin B12 leads to the development of the so-called. pernicious anemia.

 

The symptoms of gastritis are most often expressed in burning, cutting to dull pain in the epigastrium - the upper abdomen, especially when eating spicy, fried foods. Also typical are belching, early satiety, loss of appetite, bloating. Nausea and vomiting are less commonly described in chronic gastritis. Symptoms are often absent. This is usually seen in adults. It is important to know that complaints do not always correlate with the severity of gastritis. Severe ones can be observed with minimal changes and vice versa - severe gastritis does not provoke symptoms. Bleeding is a rare finding, usually occult, inconspicuous. Atypical hemorrhage with haemathesis (vomiting of blood) and melena (blood in the stool, shiny stools with a foul odor) is atypical.
 

Guiding for the diagnosis are the vortex complaints. The data on accompanying risk factors are no less important. In addition, however, some laboratory tests are usually performed to further assess the condition. The most important for the diagnosis of gastritis in modern medicine is gastroscopy. An examination of the lining of the esophagus and stomach is performed with a fiber-optic preparation introduced through the mouth. A biopsy is also taken at discretion. This is also necessary in connection with the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection. Histological (tissue) analysis also allows the establishment of metaplasia - replacement of the normal type of epithelium for the gastric mucosa, with one characteristic of the small intestine, which also has its functional features.
 

Other methods for detecting infection are serological analysis - search for antibodies against Helicobacter pylori, respiratory test with labeled urea (the bacterium has a specific enzyme), as well as the isolation of the microorganism from fecal matter.
 

Treatment of gastritis includes, first of all, a change in behavior - regular eating, with appropriate culinary processing of food and avoidance of spicy elements. Limiting alcohol and smoking use is recommended. Regular aerobic physical activity is even recommended to improve peristalsis. It is most important to stop taking medications such as aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs if possible. It is allowed to replace with paracetamol or if their interruption is undesirable - to be suitable dosage forms or to be accompanied by agents that reduce the acidity of the stomach or protect the mucous membrane.
 

 
Drug treatment includes preparations that directly neutralize hydrochloric acid in gastric juice, H2-blockers, such as ranitidine, famotidine, etc., suppressing the action of histmine - a hormone that stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid; proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole, which directly inhibit acid release; mucosal protectors - sucralfate, which polymerizes and forms a film on the gastric mucosa. Another with a similar effect is bismuth subcitrate, which protects the mucosa with both a protective layer and increased production of prostaglandins. The latter provide an efficient blood supply to the mucosa. In addition, there is evidence that bismuth subcitrate is effective in controlling Helicobacter pylori. In case of proven bacterial infection, an appropriate course of antibiotics is performed. There are usually two, in combination with proton inhibitors and mucosal protector for a period of 10-14 days. In case of nausea and vomiting, antiemetics are also included.