What is Gastritis?
Symptoms,causes and treatment for Gastritis
Gastritis means inflammation of the stomach. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis does not mean that there is an ulcer or cancer. It is simply inflammation-either acute or chronic. Gastritis can occur suddenly (acute gastritis) or gradually (chronic gastritis) The term 'acute' means that the attacks are short, not necessarily that the symptoms are severe. The term 'chronic' means the infection has developed slowly and there may be few symptoms. .
Some of the disorders associated with gastritis are:
• Helicobacter pylori gastritis (chronic gastritis) it is the name of a bacteria that has learned to live in the thick mucous lining of the stomach. Although it doesn't actually infect the underlying tissue, it does result in acute and chronic inflammation. It probably occurs early in childhood and remains throughout life unless antibiotics cure it. The infection can lead to ulcers and, in later life, even to stomach cancer in some people. Fortunately, there are now ways to make the diagnosis and treat this disorder. .
• Autoimmune gastritis, here, the body's immune system mistakenly attack the stomach lining. In this form of gastritis, the body is no longer able to absorb vitamin B12 . This causes acute and chronic inflammation which can result in a condition called pernicious anemia .
• Chronic atrophic gastritis is a disorder of the stomach where gland loss and intestinal metaplasia (change in the lining of the stomach-the lining appears more like the intestine). It is found in the stomach of 80-90 percent of patients with gastric cancer. One type of chronic atrophic gastritis is associated with pernicious anemia (sometimes associated with other autoimmune disorders ). There are other but rarer types of gastritis conditions such as eosinophilic, phlegmonous (a severe bacterial infection) and glaucomatous gastritis .
Symptoms of acute and Chronic Gastritis
The signs and symptoms of gastritis, which are often relatively mild and short-lived, include :
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea,
• Vomiting,
• Headache
• Dizziness.
• There is also pain and a feeling of discomfort in the region of the stomach.
• In more chronic cases, there is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen especially after meals. The patients complain of heartburn.
• Prolonged illness often results in loss of weight, anemia and occasional hemorrhage from the stomach.
• There may be an outpouring of mucus and a reduction in the secretion of hydrochloric acid during acute attacks and also in most cases of chronic gastritis.
• Other symptoms are a coated tongue, foul breath, bad taste in the mouth, increased flow of saliva, scanty urination, a general feeling of uneasiness, and mental depression .
Because gastritis is one of many common digestive problems with similar signs and symptoms, it's easy to confuse with other conditions
Causes of Gastritis
The most frequent cause of gastritis is a dietetic indiscretion such as habitual overeating, eating of badly combined or improperly cooked foods, excessive intake of strong tea, coffee or alcoholic drinks, habitual use of large quantities of condiments, sauces, etc. It may sometimes follow certain diseases such as measles, diphtheria influenza, virus pneumonia, etc. Frequently, it also results from worry, anxiety, grief and prolonged tension. Use of certain drugs, strong acids and caustic substances may also give rise to gastritis.
Diagnosis of Gastritis
The physician may suspect gastritis by listening to the medical history.
Gastritis is diagnosed through one or more medical tests:
• Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
The doctor eases an endoscope, a thin tube containing a tiny camera, through your mouth (or occasionally nose) and down into your stomach to look at the stomach lining. The doctor will check for inflammation and may remove a tiny sample of tissue for tests. This procedure to remove a tissue sample is called a biopsy.
• Blood test.
The doctor may check your red blood cell count to see whether you have anemia,which means that you do not have enough red blood cells. Anemia can be caused by bleeding from the stomach.
• Stool test.
This test checks for the presence of blood in your stool, a sign of bleeding
Treatment of Gastritis
Don't eat solid foods on the first day of the attack, give your stomach a rest and drink liquids only, milk or water are preferred. Add bland foods to your diet slowly and as tolerated (cooked cereals, bananas, rice, potatoes, toast) and avoid greasy, spicy foods.
More severe cases may require hospitalization, especially if you have blood in yourbowels.
Call your doctor if you vomit blood, if your bowel movements become dark or bloody, if you have severe pain, if you become dehydrated (dry mouth, excess thirst, decreased urination, wrinkled skin).
Complication
The stomach, as everyone knows from watching TV ads, is J-shaped and collects swallowed food and liquid. It then methodically grinds the food into small pieces and squirts it out in tiny jets of fluid into the duodenum, which is the first portion of the small intestine.
There are several types of cells lining the stomach. One produces hydrochloric acid and another, pepsin, a digestive hormone. Along with the grinding motion of the stomach, these chemicals break down the food and prepare it for digestion.
When to call a doctor
Consult with a general surgeon for most acute complications, such as perforation, bleeding, and outlet obstruction.
In some instances, the GI endoscopist may be able to treat bleeding definitively. | 
