Causes for Gastritis?
- Excessive alcohol use
- Stress
- Use of certain medications such as other anti-inflammatory drugs
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacteria that lives in the mucous lining of the stomach
- Bile reflux, a backflow of bile into the stomach from the bile tract that connects to the liver and gallbladder
- Infections caused by bacteria and viruses
Symptoms of Gastritis?
Most common symptoms of Gastritis are
- 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
Diagnosing of Gastritis
After a physical evaluation the patient may recommend the following
- Upper endoscopy. By using an endoscope, a thin tube containing a tiny camera, is inserted through your mouth and down into your stomach to look at the stomach lining, doctor will check for inflammation and may perform a biopsy, a procedure in which a tiny sample of tissue is removed and then sent to a laboratory for analysis.
- Screen for H. pylori infection and pernicious anemia with blood tests.
- Fecal occult blood test (stool test). This test checks for the presence of blood in your stool, a possible sign of gastritis.
Treatment for Gastritis?
- Taking antacids and proton pump inhibitors or H-2 blockers to reduce stomach acid
- Avoiding hot and spicy foods
- Antibiotics plus an acid blocking drugs are used for gastritis caused by H. pylori infection.
- B12 vitamin shots will be given for the gastritis is caused by pernicious anemia
If gastritis is left untreated, it can lead to a severe loss of blood and may increase the risk of developing stomach cancer.
