How To Tell If You Have Gastritis

Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining or mucosa. The inflammation may be caused by viral infection, alcohol, smoking, certain drugs, poisoned food, or stress. There are many forms of gastritis. Erosive gastritis can lead to significant bleeding of the stomach and ulcerations. Gastritis may be acute or chronic.

It can occur with any major physical stress such as severe illness, surgery or burns, and therefore is referred to as stress-induced gastritis. Medications that are well-known stomach irritants can contribute to gastritis. These include aspirin, nonsteroidal agents such as ibuprofen and pancreatic enzymes. Excessive alcohol ingestion can also cause gastritis and erosions.

Acute gastritis causes vomiting, hairy tongue, thirst, severe stomach pain, and mild fever. Dehydration may occur. Chronic gastritis usually produces few symptoms, although in some cases a person may experience one or more of the following discomforts: mild indigestion; slight nausea; a bloated feeling after a small meal; a bad taste in the mouth; and vague stomach pain.

Acute gastritis improves of its own accord if the precipitating factor or factors are eliminated. Antacid preparations and/or histamine blockers and antinauseant drugs such as Mylanta or Maalox, and Tylenol; don't use Aspirin, are often prescribed. 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.

Chronic gastritis can be treated only by eliminating the causative factor, for example, alcohol, smoking, or highly spiced or other foods that are difficult to digest. Antacid drugs are recommended for the treatment of chronic gastritis.

The classification of gastritis can depend on the region or function, predominantly involved. Gastric atrophy is a condition which is typically characterised by loss of function, namely reduced acid and intrinsic factor secretion. The combination of changes in the mucosa and the greater risk of bacterial colonisation in the stomach from the low acidity both give rise to gastritis, often with Helicobacter colonisation and an increased risk of carcinoma. Lack of production of intrinsic factor can give rise to pernicious anaemia from decreased Vitamin B12 absorption, giving a macrocytic (megaloblastic) anaemia.

Discuss It!

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Jim Smith said:

Gastritis is horrible, don't treat it lightly.

Betty said:

I agree with Jim. Its more serious than it sounds and can get worse if not taken seriously.

MARY said:

I AGREE ITS HORRIBLE I HAVE IT ANDITS HORRIBLE AND ITS REALLY PAINFUL AND I WISH I CAN GET RID OF IT BECAUSE IT CAUSES ME EXREMELY PAINFUL STOMACH PAIN!

Phoebe said:

I was just diagnosised with Erosive Gastritis and man im glad some one took the knife out of my stomach, My problem now is what to eat .. basically your giving up everything SIGH

marie said:

terrible!

liliana said:

its changing my life comletely

tshering lham said:

i have chornic gastritic n m pregnant.m having a tough time sleeping because of the pain in my stomach.

tshering said:

i have chornic gastritic n m pregnant.m having a tough time sleeping because of the pain in my stomach.

Gabrielle said:

I have it and I keep passing blood. Unfortunatly, I am laid off so I am at the mercy of county assistance. I was told that as long as I don't vomit blood, I should be alright. Oh yeah, also try not to stress so much. Horrible.

Sue said:

Have had gastritis for years. It's a horrible feeling and dibiltation.Good foods to eat while having a flare up are bananas,yogurt,rice. Refrain from coffee, tea, alcohol.

Kathy said:

It is horrible and life changing. I was told to take 2 doses of prilosec each day, but it's not helping. Too many things you can't have just to avoid the pain and burning. I was under a great deal of stress which I believe brought it on. To change everything you eat and drink is really hard with a family you have to cook for. Nice to know we're not alone.

Lyd said:

I am dealing with it and it seems to get worse before it gets better...ugh And its not easy when you're the only one in your family dealing and it seems as if no one cares. There cooking foods you shouldn't eat and adding all the spice!

Karo said:

something that helps with my symptoms is chewing sugar free [no mint!] gum

staci said:

what are good diet/menu/recipe options?

Rich said:

Carrot,apple,celery juice made in a juicer and if you can stand it, cabbage. It will fix you up real quick. Lots of rice, then bring in apples more fruit and veggies. Then small ammounts of lean meats.This will be over the course of a few weeks, try it and i hope it works.It does for me.....Rich....

Laura said:

I had to leave work because the pain was horrible.

Kathy said:

I have just been diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia wherein I have atrophic gastritis. I have terrible pressure and pain under my rib cage area. Anybody else???

Jose said:

Just horrible, I was just diagnosed with gastritis, I had a severe stomach ache under my rib cage area that was too long to be normal, I feared I was going to need surgery so I decided to go the ER and was told I have gastritis. Better than having surgery, but still a pain I would like to avoid :-/

Jeannie said:

I have gastritis which makes me throw up every morning. Now having to figure out what I eat that makes me so sick. I sometimes end up throwing up for hours. It's debilitating and I end of missing work. I went to the ER twice in 3 weeks, just so they can stop the vomiting, rehydrate me and give me zofran so I don't throw up. I hate this disease. The meds don't seem to help slow the acid production and I have been on every kind imagineable. This has turned out to be such a nightmare. Hope changing my diet with ease this. Trial and error. God help me!!

Rashanda said:

I'm 20 years old and in college. I got gastritis after food poisoning during my finals week of school. And your right it's extremely painful. I can only sleep on my left side when I can sleep. I had to go to the er and that was the first time I ever had to get in a bed and receive and IV. I was extremely scared. I'm turned off of beef and pork now. I hungry and tired and I just wish it would go away. But after reading this post sounds like it won't be going away for awhile.. sigh. I want to eat good food again