It seems ironic but the stomach damages itself with gastric juices, when the protective layer is broken gastritis arises. It is not irreversible, but it is a very annoying and painful situation, in addition, some treatments are very long and tend to be very discouraging. We are going to get to know gastritis in depth to know how to act if we have some symptoms of this ailment.
Gastritis is a stomach ailment that can be acute, chronic or special, since no two situations are the same, nor does it occur in the same way. Gastritis is very annoying and painful, and can even cause us to fear food and be irritated all the time.
When a pain affects our personal life so directly and negatively, it is when we have to put more emphasis on remedying and solving it. That is why, throughout this text, we are going to understand what gastritis is, how it occurs or what causes it, what its main symptoms are, what treatment there is and if this painful stomach injury can be prevented.
What is gastritis?
Gastritis is actually several diseases and all of them are linked by inflammation of the lining of the stomach . The layer of cells that protects the stomach from gastric juice can break for different reasons that we will see in detail later and that causes pain and discomfort in the upper abdomen.
It may be the case of having gastritis and not knowing it because, as we say, there are different types from the acute one, which is obviously detected quickly, through the chronic one, which is something that accompanies us for life and forces us to make big changes in our habits. food and other more special types of gastritis.
Gastritis is a very common pathology in society, in fact, those over 50 years of age have a 50% chance of having or suffering from this disease. As we have already anticipated before, the appearance of said ailment has a lot to do with food.
Causes of the disease
We are going to dwell on the causes that lead us to suffer from gastritis. Surely we believe that by taking a lot of spicy it can happen to us, and it is true, but there is much more. Causing the destruction or partial damage of the internal lining of the stomach is somewhat complicated, but it depends solely on us given the bad habits that we sometimes have.
- Take ibuprofen for long periods of time.
- Take aspirin or aspirin.
- Alcohol abuse.
- Use of drugs such as cocaine.
- Smoke.
- Infection in the stomach by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori.
- Bile reflux.
- autoimmune disorders
- A lot of stress.
- Viral infection in people with a weakened immune system.
- Intake of spicy foods with a sensitive stomach or for long periods of time.
- Eat a lot of acidic foods.
We can also suffer from this ailment, if we already suffer from other diseases in the digestive system, and more specifically in the stomach. Or it may be the case of having suffered some type of mishap after a surgical intervention in the area.
main symptoms
We believe that the symptoms are always very evident, but no. We can have gastritis in a very mild and very punctual way and never know it. There are not always symptoms, so we are going to clarify which are the most common, in case one day it can help us detect this disease and go to the doctor quickly.
- Burning.
- burning
- Indigestion.
- Abdominal pain of different intensities.
- Normal or bloody vomiting.
- Almost constant fatigue.
- loss of appetite
- Heartburn.
- Aerophagia, that is, gases.
- Bloody or black stools.
It should be said that if we vomit blood or have black or bloody stools, it is an unequivocal sign that something is not right and we have to go immediately. With regard to gas, heartburn or heartburn… we have all had these symptoms at some point in our lives, what separates us from gastritis is that these symptoms are almost daily.
Diagnosis and treatment
To determine the type of gastritis and the state in which it is found, the most normal thing is to do an endoscopy, although the first tests will be questions, feel the area and do an ultrasound.
Endoscopy is not pleasant, but it is necessary to check the state of the interior of the stomach. It is a flexible tube with a camera at its end that is inserted through the mouth and reaches the stomach. Normally, before performing this test, a treatment is ordered, as long as the symptoms are mild such as nausea, heartburn, abdominal pain, etc.
If there are already more serious symptoms such as blood in the vomit or in the stool, it is quite likely that the endoscopy will be done and we will not be able to get rid of this test. It is important to monitor the state of the stomach walls to determine the severity of gastritis.
Treatment usually begins with drugs such as antacids, if the symptoms do not subside, there are times when antibiotics must be administered, in the case of gastritis due to bacterial infection. If it is due to stress, it is best to change our life habits and do therapy with a psychologist. If the disease is advanced and there is bleeding, doctors should stop the bleeding as soon as possible.
How to prevent gastritis
Throughout the text we have given some advice, especially among the causes that cause this ailment. To prevent gastritis, the best thing is to have healthy lifestyle habits, and that ranges from eating healthy with a varied and nutrient-rich diet and far from ultra-processed foods, red meat, sugars, industrial pastries, refined oils and such, to practicing moderate exercise Many times per week.
Without forgetting that this ailment is also caused by tobacco, alcohol, spicy foods, a large amount of acidic fruits , taking many medicines for long periods of time (even if a stomach protector is used), etc.
If we notice that we have a lot of nausea, gas, abdominal pain, heartburn and no matter how many things we take, it does not go away, it is best to consult a doctor, it is the only way to prevent acute gastritis or worse consequences such as ulcers and internal bleeding.
