Chronic Gastritis

Causes of chronic gastritis

Source: Diana Hysi

In this topic (5)

What are the causes of chronic gastritis?

Causes of chronic gastritis are:

  1. Nutritive factors include:
    • Irregular eating (eating without following a regime), eating fast, without chewing properly (especially in cases with severe dental problems), icy beverages, extremely hot meals.
  2. Alcohol consumption
  3. The presence of Helicobacter pylori
  4. Smoking
  5. Certain medication such as:
    • Usage of certain medication for a prolonged period of time, for example, salicylic acid based medication, cortisones, digitalic, antibiotics, NSAID drugs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
  6. Poisoning at the workplace:
    • This is especially common for individuals working in the heavy industry (especially dangerous and worth mentioning would be the vapors produced in such workplaces).
  7. Fungal gastritis:
    • Gastritis caused by certain fungi.
  8. Hypovitaminosis:
    • Deficiency of vitamin B1, B2, PP, B12 and A.
  9. Disruptions of the metabolism:
    • Uremia, gout, diabetes, large-scale burns, severe hepatic insufficiency etc.
  10. Allergic gastritis:
    • It is hypothesized that the same effect that allergens have on the skin, they have on the lining of the stomach as well.
  11. Venous stasis (is a condition of slow blood flow in the veins):
    • This may occur when suffering from congestive cardiac insufficiency, portal hypertension (spike of blood pressure in the portal vein) etc.
  12. Certain endocrine conditions:
    • Acromegaly, Hashimoto thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, etc.
  13. Certain blood diseases:
    • Pernicious anemia, etc.
  14. Psychological factors:
    • Chronic stress, extreme emotion etc.

Chronic gastritis could also occur in idiopathic form (the cause cannot be determined).

Articles for Chronic Gastritis

Causes of chronic gastritis

Causes of chronic gastritis are nutritive factors, alcohol consumption, the presence of Helicobacter pylori, smoking, certain medication, poisoning at the workplace, fungal gastritis, hypovitaminosis, etc.

Diagnosis of chronic gastritits

Chronic gastritis is diagnosed by doing: test for Helicobacter pylori, full blood count and fibrogastroscopy.

Introduction

Chronic gastritis is an inflammation of the mucosa (lining) of the stomach which persists for a prolonged period of time, and thus leads to abdominal pain.

Symptoms of chronic gastritis

Some of the symptoms of chronic gastritis are: pain in the epigastric region (upper abdomen), loss of appetite, weight loss, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, etc. You should immediately refer to a medical professional if: you are vomiting blood, you have a very rapid heartbeat or other mentioned symptoms.

Treatment of chronic gastritis

Treatment without medication: adjusting one’s diet, in order to include all fruits and vegetables, foods high in probiotics, lean meats (low fat), beans, tofu, as well as whole grain, fiber rich foods, etc. Treatment with medication: antacids, including calcium carbonate, etc.