Gastritis

If your stomach ever felt like it was on fire, you may have experienced gastritis. Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining.Gastritis develops for many reasons. Overeating, overindulging in alcohol, eating spicy foods and smoking are all triggers.

Prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or or infection with bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori ), extensive thermal may also cause gastritis. Some people develop gastritis after major surgery, traumatic injury or burns. Certain diseases, including pernicious anemia, autoimmune disorders and chronic bile reflux can also cause gastritis.To diagnose gastritis, a doctor will take a good history and may give you a blood test.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms are: abdominal upset or pain, belching, abdominal bloating, nausea, and vomiting or a feeling of fullness or of burning in the upper abdomen.

Symptoms such as blood in vomit or black stools may be due to bleeding in the stomach, which may require an immediate medical evaluation.

The doctor may also ask for a stool sample to check for blood, which if it is present, could be another sign of gastritisor a sign of bleeding from other sites in the gastrointestinal tract. To examine your stomach lining, your doctor may also want to perform gastroscopy. During this procedure, the doctor eases a gastroscope, a thin tube containing a tiny camera, through your mouth and down into your stomach to check for inflammation. The doctor may remove a tiny tissue sample of your stomach for testing.

To treat gastritis, your doctor may recommend antacids or other drugs to reduce stomach acids and help to relieve symptoms. If your gastritis is the result of an illness or infection, your doctor will also treat the underlying health problem. Once that problem heals, the gastritis usually does, too.

What to Do

To help avoid gastritis, avoid the most common forms of any foods or beverages that cause gastritis symptoms. Spicy foods are a common trigger. Keep a diary of what food or drinks cause gastritis symptoms to gain a clearer picture of what sets off gastritis for you. Don't overeat or overindulge in alcohol — either can trigger gastritis. Talk to your doctor if symptoms persist or if there is blood in your vomit or stool, because this may indicate your stomach lining is bleeding.

Use Medicine Effectively

Talk to your doctor before stopping any medicine you are taking or before starting any gastritis treatment on your own. Antacids or other drugs designed to reduce stomach acid may help relieve symptoms, because stomach acid irritates the inflamed tissue in the stomach.

If gastritis is caused by an infection of H. pylori bactereia, a combined treatment of antiacids and antibiotics will be needed to clear up infection.

Self-care Steps for Gastritis

• If you are unable to determine precisely which foods cause gastritis for you, consider consulting a registered dietician.

• Avoid smoking because it may aggravate symptoms.