Today, one of the most common diseases of the digestive system is gastroduodenitis. What it is? What are the symptoms and causes of such an ailment? What are the effective treatments? Let's discuss these issues in an article.
This pathology is distinguished from gastritis by the fact that the inflammatory process extends to the mucous membranes of not only the stomach, but also the duodenum. With gastroduodenitis, along with a violation of the digestive processes, the general condition of the body worsens, because the duodenum takes part in the production of hormones and hormone-like substances.
Causes
Gastroduodenitis is an ailment that cannot occur on its own. Its development is facilitated by certain factors. These include:
Enhanced acid formation.
Endocrine pathology and hormonal imbalance.
Diseases of the biliary tract and liver.
Penetration in the digestive tract of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.
Improper nutrition, which involves the regular use of hot, spicy, cold food, especially if it is purged of unnatural origin or has been chemically treated.
So, gastroduodenitis - what is it? This is a complex multifactorial disease, the strength and nature of which is influenced not only by the form in which it occurs (acute or chronic), but also by the localization of changes in the mucous membranes of the internal organs.
Distinguish between acute and chronic gastroduodenitis. Symptoms and treatment of each of them will be considered below.
Acute gastroduodenitis
The disease at this stage, in addition to the mucous membranes of the stomach, affects the duodenum, as a result of which the motility of the digestive system is impaired, the passage of food becomes difficult. The acute form of gastroduodenitis is a consequence of gastritis, often the disease develops into a chronic stage.
This form of the disease is manifested by acute pain in the abdomen, which may not stop for a long time. In this case, painful sensations can be eliminated only after medical intervention.
As a rule, this problem develops in middle-aged people, since the consequences of an improper lifestyle make themselves felt. Also, acute gastroduodenitis can develop due to past diseases of the pancreas, gall bladder, liver.
Chronic gastroduodenitis
Symptoms and treatment in this case are more serious. Attacks will be more frequent, especially during the off-season.
Chronic gastroduodenitis - what is it and what are the symptoms of this pathology? With such a disease, severe stress or the penetration of infection into the food system will cause sharp cutting pains. For the chronic form of the disease, the following symptoms are characteristic:
Signs of chronic gastroduodenitis can be confused with other diseases. Therefore, only a gastroenterologist can diagnose this ailment after a thorough examination.
Consider also catarrhal and atrophic gastroduodenitis.
Catarrhal gastroduodenitis
What it is? This is a type of ailment in which the inflammatory process is localized in the duodenum. Catarrhal gastroduodenitis can be provoked by tobacco smoking, alcohol abuse, stress, and poor-quality food. The disease manifests itself with an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth, heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. With such an ailment as catarrhal gastroduodenitis, hospitalization is not required. To improve the patient's condition will help bed rest and normalization of diet. With the exception of irritating factors, the damaged layer of the mucosa is restored in a short time.
Atrophic gastroduodenitis
With this disease, significant secretion disorders are noted: the glandulocytes that provide it are replaced by simpler formations, in particular mucus-producing cells. With the loss of glandulocytes, certain changes in the functioning of the glands occur, which produce substances that provide chemical digestion reactions. The production of pepsinogen and hydrochloric acid is reduced, which leads to a complication of the breakdown and assimilation of food. The improper regeneration of epithelial cells should in no case be ignored - very often atrophy is a precursor to cancer.
Yeah, a difficult disease - atrophic gastroduodenitis. What is it, we figured out, now we will consider the signs of pathology. The main symptoms are as follows:
Diagnostics
Before making a diagnosis of "gastroduodenitis", the doctor must conduct certain manipulations.
Endoscopic examination
This procedure allows you to detect inflammation of the blood vessels, enlarged folds and swelling on the walls of the stomach.
Mucosal examination
For the procedure, the patient needs to swallow the probe with special electrodes that fix the pH level. A pH of 5 is considered the normal level of acidity of the antrum. If this indicator deviates up or down, a correspondingly increased or decreased secretory function is diagnosed.
Ultrasound scan
To conduct an ultrasound, it is necessary that the patient’s stomach is completely filled with water. Such an examination allows you to accurately determine deviations in the digestive tract.
Roentgen
Radiography is prescribed for birth defects in a patient or a possible tumor.
Treatment
How to eliminate gastroduodenitis? What is it, we found out, now we will get acquainted with the methods of treatment of this disease. Therapy is prescribed only after a thorough examination of the patient and depends on the general condition of the patient and his medical history.
First of all, the doctor prescribes a strict diet, which is quite effective in the early stages of the disease. If hyperacidity is detected , antacids are prescribed that effectively relieve pain.
As a rule, treatment is carried out at home, hospitalization is required in rare cases. It is necessary to refuse the use of fatty, sweet, smoked, too cold or hot food. The basis of the diet should be cereals, soups, dairy products, cheese, lean cooked meat. It is also recommended to exclude coffee, strong tea, alcoholic beverages. You should eat 5-6 times a day in small portions. This will maintain the normal functioning of the stomach and duodenum and eliminate extremely undesirable starvation during this period.
As part of drug therapy, drugs are prescribed that destroy the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (antibiotics Metronidazole, Amoxicillin), drugs that reduce acidity in the stomach (Almagel, Maalox).
ethnoscience
With gastroduodenitis, a good therapeutic effect is exerted by traditional medicine.
Mint
Mint leaves (fresh or dry) are poured with hot water, insisted in a thermos for a day. The resulting infusion is taken before meals and after eating 50 ml. Peppermint will have a disinfecting and calming effect on the digestive system. It is impossible to increase the indicated dose and frequency of taking the drug, since in large quantities it can provoke the development of heart disease.
Celandine
The plant is poured with alcohol and insisted for two weeks. Alcohol tincture is taken a few drops a day. Every day, the amount of medicine is gradually increased to 50 drops per day, then the countdown begins.
Linen
A tablespoon of chopped flax seed is poured with water and put on low heat, brought to a boil and boiled for several minutes. The resulting product is taken at 50 g per month.
Gastroduoudenitis in a child
Such a pathology can develop in childhood. The most common cause of the disease is a lack of a normal diet. This is especially true of educational institutions where, instead of a full meal, a child can have a snack with chips, crackers, and nuts. Often, children put all these harmful products into their mouth with unwashed hands, and this increases the probability of infection entering the digestive tract several times. In addition, fast foods contain a large amount of salt, which helps to wash out vitamins and other valuable substances from the body.
When eating dry food for a long time, the ailment can acquire a chronic form. Chronic gastroduodenitis in children is accompanied by autonomic and psychoemotional disorders: periodic headaches, dizziness, sleep disturbance, fatigue. Vegetative disorders such as weakness, drowsiness, sweating, increased activity of intestinal motility, occur 2-3 hours after eating. Long breaks between meals contribute to the development of signs of hypoglycemia: muscle weakness, trembling in the body, and increased appetite.
Exacerbations of the disease
For chronic gastroduodenitis, a cyclical course is characteristic: the phase of exacerbation is replaced by remission. The disease worsens most often in the spring and autumn. In addition to eating disorders, various stressful situations, overload at school, infectious and somatic diseases can activate the disease. The severity of exacerbation is affected by the severity and duration of the pain syndrome, dyspeptic phenomena, a violation of the general condition of the body. As a rule, spontaneous pains disappear after 7-10 days, pain during palpation lasts 2-3 weeks. On average, exacerbation of chronic gastroduodenitis lasts 1-2 months. In the remission stage, there are no manifestations of the disease (clinical, endoscopic, morphological).
Therapy for gastroduodenitis in children is the same as in adults. As a rule, the manifestations of the disease disappear with prolonged adherence to a healthy diet.
Preventative measures
So, the doctor diagnosed with gastroduodenitis. What is it and how to treat an ailment, you already know after reading this article. However, any disease is better to prevent than to treat later. The following simple guidelines should be followed:
eat regularly and avoid starvation;
the basis of the diet should be protein foods rich in vitamins;
give up late and nightly meals;
eat at the same time;
include dairy products in the daily diet;
quit smoking;
drink alcohol to a minimum;
Do not follow too strict diets;
if possible, avoid stressful situations and any conflicts;
monitor the normal nutrition of the child outside the home.
These rules are not difficult to follow, but they will help you avoid a disease such as gastroduodenitis.