Chronic gastritis: clinical recommendations for diagnosis and treatment

Chronic gastritis is a disease in which an inflammatory process of the gastric mucosa is observed. All this violates the production of pepsin and hydrochloric acid.

According to statistics, more than 70% of the world's population suffers from chronic gastritis (this includes all age categories). In the future, this disease is associated with other more serious gastrointestinal problems, namely:

• cancer;
• stomach ulcer;
• duodenal ulcer.

That’s why every person needs to understand how to recognize and diagnose a problem in time.

Causes of the disease

Before we move on to the diagnosis and treatment of chronic gastritis, clinical recommendations, we suggest dealing with the causes of this unpleasant disease.

It is important to note here that the disease is multifactorial, that is, there are a number of reasons that increase the risk of gastritis. These include:

• malnutrition;
• poor chewing of food;
• smoking;
• frequent use of alcoholic beverages;
• frequent use of anti-inflammatory drugs;
• diabetes;
• hyperthyroidism;
• sores;
• cholecystitis;
• duodenitis;
• pancreatitis
• esophagitis.

There are three groups of reasons:

1. Infectious.
2. Non-infectious.
3. Unknown reasons.

Types and forms of chronic gastritis

Now you know what chronic gastritis is. We will consider clinical recommendations a bit later, now we turn to the question of types and forms of the disease.

In total, three forms stand out:

• A - autoimmune;
• B - bacterial;
• C is chemical.

The tactics of treatment depend on the form.

In addition, a classification can be made that reflects the anatomical location of the inflammatory process. Two forms stand out:

• fundal;
• antral.

Classification by cell change. Four forms stand out:

• atrophic;
• non-atrophic;
• hyperplastic;
• superficial.

Classification by secretory function:

• hyperacid;
• hypoacid.

Classification due to illness. There may be five forms:

• endogenous;
• exogenous;
• autoimmune;
• bacterial;
• reflux gastritis.

Symptoms

Symptoms of the disease include:

• severity
• pain in the stomach;
• manifestation of nausea or even vomiting;
• frequent burping (most likely they have a sour smell);
• heartburn;
• poor appetite;
• weight loss;
• presence of plaque on the tongue (white) and an unpleasant odor.

If you notice the presence of these symptoms, then you definitely need to consult a doctor.

Complications

Complications include:

• peptic ulcer disease;
• adenocarcinoma of the stomach;
• MALT lymphoma;
• pernicious anemia (vitamin B ₁₂ deficiency).

Diagnosis of the disease

We turn to one of the most important issues: the diagnosis of gastritis. Clinical recommendations will be given in this section of the article. The disease can be suspected if the patient complains of pain and discomfort in the stomach. However, an accurate diagnosis can only be made after evaluation of biopsy samples from different parts of the stomach. Therefore, endoscopy is necessary.

Diagnostics has several goals at once:

• confirmation of the diagnosis;
• detection of H. pylori infection;
• diagnosis of possible complications.

What are the methods for diagnosing chronic gastritis? Clinical recommendations:

• a blood and urine test of the patient will help to recognize the inflammatory process;
• a coprogram allows you to detect decreased secretory activity of the stomach;
• FGDS and histology;
• the use of the probe, Sali and Masevich samples allow you to explore the secretory function;
• taking a biopsy or culture of microorganisms in a nutrient medium will help identify H. pylori;
• manometry in order to measure pressure in the duodenum.

All these measures must be carried out, because thanks to a comprehensive examination, many problems can be excluded:

• an ulcer (this applies to both the stomach and the duodenum);
• hernia of the diaphragm;
• tumors and so on.

Treatment

It is very important to note that the term "chronic gastritis" no longer exists in foreign gastroenterology. Clinical recommendations of the RSA, which were thoroughly studied before writing the article, state that gastroenterologists-clinicians use the concept of “functional dyspepsia”.

If the patient is diagnosed, then the doctor already has an idea of ​​the form of the disease and the symptoms observed in the patient. That is, it is highly likely that the selected treatment methods will become as effective as possible and will be able to eliminate all unpleasant symptoms. How is chronic gastritis usually treated? Clinical recommendations for the treatment of the disease:

1. The use of antibiotics.
2. Reception of histamine receptor blockers.
3. Antacids.
4. Antispasmodics.
5. Proton pump blockers.

Treatment must be completed so that the disease does not appear again. All medicines should be prescribed by a strictly attending physician.

Diet

What else will help get rid of chronic gastritis? There are a lot of recommendations:

• dieting;
• activity and rest mode;
• use of traditional medicine (as agreed with the attending physician).

Now let's talk more about diet. This is one of the main points in the treatment. As mentioned earlier, the acidity of the stomach can be increased and decreased. Based on this, a set of allowed and prohibited products is selected.

Mode

What to do if they discovered chronic gastritis in children? Clinical recommendations are exactly the same. Now briefly about the correct distribution of your time. There are some factors that increase the risk of the disease and prevent you from getting rid of it:

• overwork;
• lack of sleep;
• stress;
• irregularity of nutrition.

It is important to properly allocate your time. We will help you with this. It is recommended to draw up a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule, given several simple recommendations:

1. Night sleep from 7 to 8 hours.
2. Morning exercise (5 minutes).
3. Physical education (1-2 minutes) every 2 hours.
4. Walking at a fast pace daily for 40 minutes.
5. Departure to nature (1 time per week).
6. Leisure at least twice a month (exhibitions, concerts, sporting events).

Believe me, all this will have a beneficial effect on the treatment of this disease.