Diseases & Conditions

Gastritis

Gastritis is a term used to describe a group of conditions with one thing in common: inflammation of the lining of your stomach. The inflammation of gastritis is often the result of infection with the same bacterium that causes most stomach ulcers. However, other factors — such as traumatic injury, regular use of certain pain relievers or drinking too much alcohol — also can contribute to gastritis.

Gastritis may occur suddenly (acute gastritis) or it can occur slowly over time (chronic gastritis). In some cases, gastritis can lead to ulcers and an increased risk of stomach cancer. For most people, however, gastritis isn't serious and improves quickly with treatment.

The signs and symptoms of gastritis include:

• A gnawing or burning ache or pain (indigestion) in your upper abdomen that may become either worse or better with eating
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Belching or bloating
• A feeling of fullness in your upper abdomen after eating
• Weight loss

Acute gastritis occurs suddenly and is more likely to cause nausea and burning pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen. Chronic gastritis develops gradually and is more likely to cause a dull pain and a feeling of fullness or loss of appetite after a few bites of food. For many people, though, chronic gastritis causes no signs or symptoms at all.

Occasionally, gastritis may cause stomach bleeding, although it's rarely severe. But be aware that bleeding in your stomach that causes you to vomit blood or pass black, tarry stools requires immediate medical care.

When to see a doctor
Nearly everyone has experienced a bout of indigestion and stomach irritation. Most cases of indigestion are short-lived and don't require medical care. But if you experience signs and symptoms of gastritis consistently for a week or longer, see your doctor. And be sure to tell your doctor if you experience stomach problems after taking any prescription or over-the-counter drugs, especially aspirin or other pain relievers.

If you are vomiting blood or have blood in your stools, see your doctor right away to determine the cause.

Left untreated, gastritis may lead to stomach ulcers and stomach bleeding. Some forms of chronic gastritis may increase your risk of stomach cancer, especially if you have extensive thinning of the stomach lining and changes in the lining's cells.

Tell your doctor if your signs and symptoms aren't improving despite treatment for gastritis.

Treatment of gastritis depends on the specific cause. Acute gastritis caused by NSAIDs or alcohol may be relieved by stopping use of those substances. Chronic gastritis caused by H. pylori infection is treated by eradicating the bacteria. Most gastritis treatment plans also incorporate medications that treat stomach acid in order to reduce signs and symptoms you're experiencing and promote healing in your stomach.

Medications to treat stomach acid
Stomach acid irritates inflamed tissue in your stomach, causing pain and further inflammation. That's why, for most types of gastritis, treatment involves taking drugs to reduce or neutralize stomach acid, such as:

• Antacids. Over-the-counter antacids (Maalox, Mylanta, others) in liquid or tablet form are a common treatment for mild gastritis. Antacids neutralize stomach acid and can provide fast pain relief.
• Acid blockers. When antacids don't provide enough relief, your doctor may recommend a medication, such as cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), nizatidine (Axid) or famotidine (Pepcid), that helps reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces.
• Medications to shut down acid 'pumps.' Medications called proton pump inhibitors reduce acid by blocking the action of tiny pumps within the acid-secreting cells of your stomach. This class of medications includes omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), rabeprazole (Aciphex) and esomeprazole (Nexium).

Medications to treat H. pylori
Doctors use several regimens to treat H. Pylori infection. Most use a combination of two antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor. Sometimes bismuth (Pepto-Bismol) is added to the mix. The antibiotics help destroy the bacteria, and the proton pump inhibitor relieves pain and nausea, heals inflammation and may increase the antibiotics' effectiveness.

To ensure that H. pylori has been eliminated, your doctor may test you again after treatment.