Generally, gastritis is the inflammation or irritation of the stomach lining.
It takes either an acute(comes as fast as it goes) or a chronic(is slowly building up over time) form.
What types of gastritis exist? – The common ones
Commonly known are the acute and the type A, B or C gastritis.
Acute Gastritis
occurs suddenly and has following symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting
- burning sensation and/or gnawing feeling in the stomach as well as in the back
- heartburn
- vomiting (sometimes blood)
- abdominal bloating or meteorism
- hiccups
- loss of appetite
- indigestion
- black stools
Acute gastritis can be identified through upper endoscopy where the stomach lining appears erosive and/or bleeding. Often tissue is removed and tested showing inflammatory cells.
Causes
Substances like
- spoiled or troublesome food
- alcohol excess
- nicotine
- medication (especially cortisone, aspirin or pain reliever)
- chemical burns through acid
Accompanying diseases
- infects
- renal insufficiency
Stress
- burdensome private or professional situations
- feelings like sadness, anger, worries or depression
- patients in intensive care unit
- as a result of an operation
Therapy
Often heals quickly with a few days on a bland diet.It is recommended to omit foods entirely for 24-36 hours, slowly introducing bland foods, starting with tea, plain oatmeal cooked with water and zwieback. Also, nicotine and caffeine should not be consumed.
If the pain is unbearable antacids(maloxaan,riopan) or ppi(pantoprazole) can bring relief. Hot water bottles are pleasant. If vomiting is a symptom, drink sufficiently and take electrolytes.
If the pain stays for longer than a week visit a doctor.
Vomiting blood and tarry stools should be checked out by a doctor and not be treated alone!
Chronic Gastritis
A chronic gastritis can be identified by its length. It can last from several weeks to several months or even years.
Type A
Only approximately 5% of gastritis sufferers have Type A gastritis which is an autoimmune gastritis.
The immune system forms antibodies against parietal cells in the gastric mucous membrane. These cells produce not only stomach acid, but a substance crucial for receptivity of Vitamin B12 in the blood.
Often patients have blood anemia. The mucous membrane thins out over time, possibly corrode itself, potentially resulting in cancer.
It is vital to replace Vitamin B12 in form of injections.
- Localisation: fundus(upper stomach) and corpus
Type B
This is the frequent form of gastritis. A bacteria called Helicobacter pylori sits in the mucous lining and can’t be killed off by stomach acid, because it builds its own alkaline surrounding. Often people don’t even know they carry it, because the symptoms are pretty much non-existent or very subtle. It is more common to be a concern for people over 50.
The only safe diagnose is through an endoscopy, where calls are retrieved and testes in laboratory. It is utterly important to not have taken ppi or antacids for at least 2 weeks prior, otherwise false negative results could be generated. However, blood or stool test can be used for assessment of the therapy.
This type of gastritis is usually treated with two types of antibiotics and one form of proton pump inhibitor, usually for about 10 days. If the bacteria is resistant, antibiotic treatment is repeated with 3 forms of antibiotics and one form of ppi.
But it isn’t necessary to go the chemical root . A lot of sufferers could starve them out by taking natural antibiotics like mastic gum over a periods of at least 4 weeks.
Sadly, HP is known for coming back over time, becoming more and more resistent.
- Localisation: antrum(close to exit of the stomach)
Type C
This type of gastritis is also known as chemical gastritis, caused by irritation like excess stomach acid, excess drinking or smoking, stress, pain medication, unbalanced diet(high in fat, low in fiber, excess proteins) or reflux of bile.
This type of gastritis is treated by avoiding the substance that caused it in the first place.You might have read this information on multiple other sites, but don’t believe that’s all. These are just the common types doctors seem to know how to treat. Let me tell you, there are many more.
Also read Gastritis – Part 2: Rare Forms
*This post is based on research and personal experience. All products (if any mentioned) are bought and tried by myself if not written otherwise.
