If you have symptoms such as burning pain in the chest or upper abdomen, nausea, loss of appetite, and bloating, you may have gastritis.
First, let’s understand how gastritis develops.
Inside your stomach, there are acids and enzymes that help digest food. To protect the stomach lining from being damaged by these acids and enzymes, the stomach has various protective mechanisms.
However, if these protective mechanisms are damaged due to various reasons, inflammation, swelling, and redness of the stomach lining occur. This condition is called gastritis.
What causes gastritis?
Gastritis can occur suddenly over a few days or develop as a long-term chronic condition.
Causes of acute gastritis:
- Use of painkillers such as aspirin and Brufen (ibuprofen)
- Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking
- Stress or psychological pressure
- Irregular meal patterns
Causes of chronic gastritis:
- Infection of the stomach lining by a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori
- The body producing antibodies against its own stomach cells
Symptoms of gastritis:
- Burning pain in the upper abdomen
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bloating after eating
- Loss of appetite
The most important test to diagnose gastritis is an endoscopy, where a camera is inserted into the stomach. This helps determine the severity of gastritis and whether there are ulcers.