Gastritis: causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

By Cristiano Antonino On May 8, 2023

When the stomach is affected by intense, prolonged and recurrent inflammation of the gastric walls (inflammation), we speak of gastritis

This disease, depending on its symptoms, the frequency with which it manifests itself or its intensity, may be acute or chronic.

Acute gastritis is a violent inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the walls of the stomach, but it can be resolved in a short time by eliminating the root of the misbehaviour that momentarily triggered it.

In the chronic form, on the other hand, symptoms occur more gently and gradually but can degenerate into an illness that can last for a long time before worsening.

This second form can often be traced back to infections caused by colonisation of the stomach lining by a bacterium known as helicobacter pylori.

Other factors, such as the coexistence of diseases such as Aids, Crohn’s disease, autoimmune disorders, renal and hepatic insufficiency may favour the chronic variant of gastritis.

Also relevant is the role played by the abuse of alcohol, smoking and pain-relieving drugs of the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) category, and psychopathological factors related to emotional management.

The most common subcategories of acute gastritis are:

Acute gastritis
Hemorrhagic or erosive gastritis
Acute ischaemic gastritis
Acute radiation gastritis
Acute infectious gastritis

The most common forms of chronic gastritis are:

Atrophic chronic gastritis
Chronic NSAID gastritis
Infectious chronic gastritis
Psychosomatic gastritis

Symptoms, causes and diagnostic tests

Different forms of gastritis can occur depending on the underlying cause.

Mild symptoms can be resolved by correcting some incorrect eating behaviour, while more aggressive and persistent forms, especially if they become chronic, must be addressed with targeted and sometimes aggressive pharmacological therapies to avoid complications such as a gastric ulcer.

Symptoms that indicate the presence of gastric inflammation include the simple burning sensation in the stomach (also called heartburn or stomach acidity) but also forms of halitosis, lack of appetite, aerophagia, dyspepsia, abdominal cramps, meteorism or episodes of vomiting.

Symptoms can therefore also affect the intestinal area

The specialist to whom one turns is the gastroenterologist, who will carry out a specialist examination dividing the etiopathological factors from the more direct and specific ones.

What does a gastroenterological examination consist of?

During the examination, the specialist makes a detailed assessment of the general state of health of the patient’s digestive system.

The anamnesis, in which the clinician gathers all relevant information about the patient’s medical history, precedes the actual phase of the diagnostic assessment of the symptoms, which is carried out by means of the objective test and direct palpation (when possible) of the internal organs.

At that point, further diagnostic investigations may be necessary to formulate a diagnosis.

In addition to the test to detect the presence of helicobacter pylori, the specialist may prescribe diagnostic tests such as common laboratory tests (blood, faeces and urine tests), the breath test (breathe test) to find out if there is lactose intolerance, gastric endoscopy, gastric biopsy and X-ray of the upper digestive tract.

Cures and treatments

To identify the most appropriate treatment, the specialist will analyse the causes that led the person to develop gastritis.

For the treatment of acute gastritis, dietary counselling to change incorrect eating habits and lifestyles at the table is usually sufficient.

First and foremost, the patient must be willing to moderate the consumption of acidic substances such as coffee, alcohol and tobacco, if possible completely eliminating the smoking habit from his or her daily routine.

The intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, without gastroprotectant and with too high a frequency, should also be minimised wherever possible.

In the case of acute gastritis, in addition to intervening on habits and lifestyles, incorporating healthy behaviours and a balanced diet under the banner of the Mediterranean tradition, it will be necessary to intervene by taking an antibiotic capable of eradicating the bacterium that gave rise to the pathology, in addition to specific gastroprotectant drugs and proton pump inhibitors.

Gastritis: predisposition, risk factors and prevention

Some people are more at risk of falling ill with gastritis than others.

First and foremost, there is an age-related factor, because gastric walls tend to weaken as one gets older.

On the other hand, bad habits and abuse can trigger a greater predisposition to developing more or less severe forms of gastritis, starting, as we have seen, with the coexistence of other pathologies.

Certainly those who suffer from alcoholism have a very high probability of falling ill sooner or later, since alcohol exerts a corrosive action on the stomach walls.

Coffee abuse (more than 2 or 3 a day) is also among the factors that can trigger acute symptoms.

Those who suffer from gastro-oesophageal reflux or gastric ulcer are also more likely to experience the symptoms of gastritis, if only because of their family history and the proximity of these two diseases, both of which are related to an excessive presence of acidic gastric juices in the stomach.

Finally, individuals suffering from anxiety disorders, those with strong emotionality that they have difficulty controlling, and those with psychopathological traits that translate into somatic symptoms are more likely to develop psychosomatic gastritis.

Gastritis: the importance of nutrition

While waiting for the specialist’s report, it may be useful to keep the symptoms of gastritis under control with a diet that does not stimulate the stomach’s natural acidity.

The most recommended diet is also the healthiest one: hypolipidic, hypoglycaemic and low in salt and spicy substances.

The quantities of food should never be too large, also because it is important that the food is easily digestible.

Eliminating the consumption of drinks that stimulate gastric juices is very important. Carbonated drinks and fruit juices should be eliminated.

The eating style to be followed is that prescribed by the Mediterranean diet, which favours simple, unprocessed cooked foods, wholemeal flours, pulses and lean meats, and minimises the consumption of sweets, especially industrially produced ones.

Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux: Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment

Heartburn: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment

Gastroenteritis: Definition, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis And What To Eat

Straight Leg Raise: The New Manoeuvre To Diagnose Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease

Gastroenterology: Endoscopic Treatment For Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux

Oesophagitis: Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment

Asthma, The Disease That Takes Your Breath Away

Gastroesophageal Reflux: Causes, Symptoms, Tests For Diagnosis And Treatment

Global Strategy For Asthma Management And Prevention

Paediatrics: ‘Asthma May Have ‘Protective’ Action Against Covid’

Esophageal Achalasia, The Treatment Is Endoscopic

Oesophageal Achalasia: Symptoms And How To Treat It