What is gastritis and how to recognize it?
Gastritis is a medical term for irritation, inflammation orerosion of the stomach lining. The fact is that it is a common symptom for a numberof conditions related to the lining of the stomach, and there are also a numberof causes that provoke gastritis. The most common are excessive consumption ofalcohol, stress, certain medications among which pain relievers and anti-inflammatoryones are particularly dangerous, chronic vomiting, infections, both viral andbacterial in nature. Bile reflux may also cause gastritis, as well as traumaticinjuries.
Regardless of the cause, there are some symptoms that are typicaland that may help in identifying this condition. Among them are nausea,vomiting, bloating, loss of appetite, loss of weight and feeling of fullness inthe upper abdomen after a meal, as well as burning ache in the same area thattends to worsen after eating. There is a difference between acute and chronicgastritis, since the first type appears suddenly and the symptoms are onlynausea and burning sensation or discomfort in the upper part of the abdomen,whereas chronic usually causes a dull pain and the mentioned feeling of fullnessafter only a few bites of food. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all in casesof chronic gastritis. When talking about the symptoms, stomach bleeding mayalso occur, but unless the person vomits blood or has black tarry stools, nomedical attention is required.
How can gastritis be treated, and is it possible to cure it?
There are several options when the treatment of gastritis isin question, but which will be suggested in a particular case depends on thecause. For example, if non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are identified asthe cause, the treatment will be started with the elimination of thesemedications. If some bacterial infection is the cause, the treatment willconsist of destroying those bacteria. However, the majority of the treatment methodswill probably include medications that reduce the stomach acid, which is knownas the main cause of pain because it irritates the inflamed tissue in thestomach. These medications are antacids, acid blockers or those that are calledproton pump inhibitors, which are known for their ability to block the actionof tiny pumps in the cells that secrete acid. Besides this, it is important tochange eating habits and to make them healthier, as well as to maintain ahealthy weight, exercise regularly, and find a healthy way to manage thestress.
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