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Gastritis

Gastritis Overview

Gastritis, an inflammation or irritation of the lining of the stomach, is not a single disease. Rather, gastritis is a condition that has many causes. Common to all people with gastritis is pain or discomfort in the upper part of the belly (abdomen), sometimes called dyspepsia.

Gastritis can be a brief and sudden illness (acute gastritis), a longer-lasting condition (chronic gastritis), or a special condition, perhaps as part of another medical illness.

An example of acute gastritis is stomach upset that may follow the use of alcohol or aspirin.
Helicobacter pylori is a type of bacteria that infects the stomach. Infection with this bacteria may lead to chronic gastritis.

Gastritis is a common medical problem. Up to 10% of people who come to a hospital emergency department with abdominal pain have gastritis.

Gastritis Causes

Gastritis is associated with various medications, medical and surgical conditions, physical stresses, social habits, chemicals, and infections. Some of the more common causes of gastritis are listed here.

Medications

Aspirin (more than 300 drug products contain some form of aspirin)
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen)
Steroids ( prednisone is one example)
Potassium supplements
Iron tablets
Cancer chemotherapy medications

Swallowing poisons or objects

Corrosives (acid or lye)
Alcohols of various types
Swallowed foreign bodies (paper clips or pins)

Medical and surgical conditions

Physical stress in people who are critically ill or injured
After medical procedures (such as endoscopy, in which a specialist looks into the stomach with a small lighted tube)
After an operation to remove part of the stomach
After radiation treatment for cancer
Autoimmune diseases
Pernicious anemia
Chronic vomiting

Infections

Tuberculosis
Syphilis
Bacterial infections: H pylori infection is the most common. Many other bacteria—even those that usually cause pneumonia or bladder infections—can cause gastritis.
Viral infections
Fungal (yeast) infections
Parasites and worms

Gastritis Symptoms

Symptoms of gastritis do not always correspond to the extent of physical changes in the lining of the stomach.

The stomach lining can be examined with an endoscope, a thin probe with a tiny camera on the end that can be inserted into the stomach.
Severe gastritis may be present when the stomach is viewed without symptoms being present.
Severe gastritis symptoms may be present despite only minor changes in the stomach lining.
Elderly people in particular have a much higher likelihood of developing painless stomach damage. They may have no symptoms at all (no nausea, vomiting, pain) until they are suddenly taken ill with internal bleeding.

In people who have gastritis symptoms, pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen is the most common.

The pain is usually in the upper central portion of the abdomen (the "pit" of the stomach).
Gastritis pain occurs in the left upper portion of the abdomen and in the back. The pain seems to "go right straight through" a person as it travels from the belly to the back.
People often use the terms burning, aching, gnawing, or sore to describe the pain. Usually, a vague sense of discomfort is present, but the pain may be sharp, stabbing, or cutting.