Gastritis: Acute, Chronic, and Atropic
Gastritis essentially means inflammation of the stomach lining. As a diagnosis, gastritis can occur in several forms, acute, chronic and autoimmune. Although there is some overlap in symptoms and treatment, successful treatment depends upon identifying which form of gastritis you suffer from.
Acute Gastritis
Acute gastritis occurs secondary to exposure to a viral or bacterial infection from food or hand to hand contact which causes the classic nausea, vomiting and diarrhea associated with the “stomach flu.” Acute gastritis is generally a self-limiting disorder which means it will pass without any particular treatment. The course of acute gastritis is generally twenty-four to forty-eight hours and while you may be miserable your life is not in any risk. The exceptions to this could be the very young and very elderly who can’t tolerate the dehydration or be induced to drink enough clear liquids to prevent it. The treatment for acute gastritis is rest of the gut by taking in clear liquids only and medication for nausea and vomiting. Most doctors feel the diarrhea is necessary to move the virus or bacteria out of the system. Over indulging in alcohol or spicy foods may also cause gastritis symptoms and smoking can aggravate the discomfort.
Chronic gastritis
Chronic gastritis is an ongoing condition which may have no symptoms at all in some people. Generally patients complain of epigastric discomfort, pain after eating, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, belching and weakness. Often there are gastric ulcers which can be seen with endoscopy. Chronic gastritis is caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori or prolonged use of ant-inflammatory such as Ibuprophen or naproxen. The treatment of this form of gastritis involves antibiotics for four to six weeks and sometimes longer. If anti-inflammatory are the culprits they will need to be avoided. Chronic gastritis is a symptom of an underlying problem that needs to be addresses. Your doctor will probably want to do an EGD to check for ulcers and collect samples to test for the Helicobacter bacteria. Serious bleeding can occur from untreated ulcers.
Atrophic gastritis
Atrophic gastritis can be caused by certain autoimmune disorders, pernicious anemia which is caused by the body’s inability to make enough red blood cells due to vitamin B-12 deficiency, and chronic reflux. Untreated helicobacter pylori can also result in atrophy of the stomach lining as can advance age and some environmental factors. Atrophic gastritis can lead to the development of gastric cancer in some cases. Atrophic gastritis is sometimes symptomless.
Treatments of gastritis
Treatment of gastritis depends on the cause. Acute gastritis generally requires no treatment unless dehydration is severe. Chronic gastritis caused by helicobacter pylori requires weeks to months of antibiotic treatment. Treatment of chronic gastritis caused by autoimmune problems depends on the underlying cause. If you’re suffering from symptoms of gastritis, follow up with your doctor.
Sources:
<http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/adult_digest/gastrts.cfm>
<http://www.nethealthbook.com/articles/gastritis.php>
This article is meant to be informational only and is not medical advice. Always follow up with your doctor for questions regarding your health.
>
| |
