What symptom of erosive gastritis is manifested in a person in the first place? If you do not own this information, then we will answer this question in detail in the submitted article. In addition, we will tell you about what types of this disease exist, as well as how they are diagnosed and treated.
General information about the disease
What are the signs of erosive gastritis? Symptoms of this disease will be presented below. Now I want to tell you about what the mentioned disease is in general.
Erosive gastritis is a very common deviation, which is characterized by the destruction of the gastric mucosa. In the initial stage of the disease, lesions can be small and localized only on the outer shell of the digestive organ. But as the disease progresses, erosion can spread to a large area, which ultimately will contribute to the appearance of pronounced symptoms of gastritis.
Main types
Knowing which symptom of erosive gastritis appears first is very important. After all, timely treatment of this disease contributes to the rapid and painless healing of all internal lesions.
In medical practice, gastritis is usually classified into several types. Their defining sign is the localization of lesions, as well as the stage of development of the disease. Consider the types of diseases mentioned in more detail.
Acute gastritis
Acute gastritis is the most severe form of the disease. Fortunately, it is very rare in patients. With this disease, the entire gastric mucosa is covered with shallow (superficial) lesions. As a rule, such a disease is detected after the deliberate or accidental use of chemicals, poisons or any concentrated acids. How is exacerbation of erosive gastritis? Symptoms of this deviation appear sharply.
Chronic or hemorrhagic erosive gastritis
What is chronic erosive gastritis? The symptoms of this disease are very often felt by people leading an improper lifestyle (alcohol abuse, poor nutrition, prolonged use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Such a disease is characterized by the presence of large erosions ranging in size from 3 to 7 millimeters, as well as inflammation of the internal integument of the main digestive organ.
Erosive antral gastritis
Why does antral erosive gastritis develop , the symptoms of which are manifested in severe pain in the epigastric region? This disease is caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Such microorganisms live in an alkaline environment mainly in the lower part of the stomach, under the mucus. Bacteria can cause quite severe inflammation of the gastric mucosa. In this case, damaged tissue is regenerated for a very long time.
Erosive reflux gastritis
This disease develops as a result of the casting of the contents of the duodenum into the stomach. In this case, severe swelling and ulcers, which rapidly increase in size, can be observed on the mucosa of the main digestive organ. The main symptom of erosive gastritis (reflux) is bloody vomiting. Its appearance is due to the fact that the destroyed tissues of the stomach begin to gradually exfoliate and go out.
Erosive gastritis: symptoms and treatment
Depending on the type of gastritis , its symptoms can vary significantly. For an acute disease, the following symptoms are characteristic:
- heartburn;
- vomiting (may be mixed with blood);
- feeling of nausea;
- unstable stool (may be mixed with blood);
- a feeling of heaviness (and sometimes pain) in the stomach after eating;
- dull stomach pain, which is especially often worse after eating.
As a rule, with acute gastritis, symptoms appear suddenly. In this case, the patient's condition worsens. In this regard, the disease is difficult not to notice.
What is the first symptom of erosive gastritis when it comes to the chronic stage? In this case, the disease proceeds differently. Very often, erosive hemorrhagic gastritis develops without any signs. And only at the last stage of the disease can a person observe an admixture of blood in his stool or vomiting. As for antral gastritis, the following signs may indicate it:
- flatulence;
- heaviness and discomfort in the stomach;
- nausea;
- loss of appetite.
How is it diagnosed?
Now you know why it develops and what signs erosive gastritis has (symptoms). Diet for this kind of disease is the main treatment method. We will describe it in detail below. After all, before embarking on a therapy for a disease, one should identify its presence and determine the stage of development. To do this, we recommend contacting a gastroenterologist or therapist. After questioning and examining the patient, the doctor must prescribe a series of tests and examinations.
As a rule, patients with signs of erosive gastritis are primarily recommended to undergo FGDS. During this procedure, a special device is introduced into the stomach - an endoscope. It is a tube with a camera at the end. Using this device, a specialist (endoscopist) carefully examines the surface of the mucous membrane, revealing erosive ulcers that are located on it.
During the procedure described, the doctor may perform a biopsy. To do this, a piece of inflamed tissue is taken, and then examined for Helicobacter pylori or other abnormalities (for example, the presence of a malignant tumor, etc.).
Due to unpleasant sensations during the passage of FGDS, many people refuse this procedure. This is a big mistake. After all, the only way to establish the true cause of severe pain in the epigastric region and to assess the degree of damage to the gastric mucosa.
If the doctor cannot make the correct diagnosis, then he will not be able to prescribe the necessary treatment. And this is fraught with very serious consequences.
By the way, in addition to FGDS, the patient is recommended to take other tests:
- Blood test (general). The presence of anemia very often indicates bleeding with exacerbation of gastritis.
- An analysis of feces revealing hidden blood.
- Take an x-ray (very rarely prescribed).
The process of drug treatment of erosive gastritis
The first stage of treatment after diagnosis is to eliminate the cause of gastritis. In the event that the disease is caused by Helicobacter pylori bacteria, then therapy cannot be carried out without the use of antibiotic drugs. Most often, the following drugs are prescribed to the patient: Tetracycline, Levofloxacin, Clarithromycin, Amoxicillin. These medicines require long-term use. If the course of antibiotics is unreasonably interrupted, then harmful microorganisms will resume their reproduction.
The second stage of treatment is the normalization of the acidity of the juice of the stomach. The mucosa of the main digestive organ, affected by erosion, must be protected from irritants. For this, antacids and acid blockers may be prescribed to the patient.
Since the mentioned drugs muffle the action of the juice of the stomach, additional enzymes are necessary for better digestion of food. Well enhance the secretory function of funds such as Mezim, Creon or Digestal.
The third stage of treatment is the restoration of the mucosa. The Iberogast and Trental medicines do well with this task. These funds provide oxygen to the affected tissue and contribute to rapid regeneration.
Is it possible to treat on my own?
Now you know how to treat and what signs erosive gastritis has (symptoms). Treatment with folk remedies is not recommended if you have no idea how to do this. After all, using non-traditional methods, you can aggravate the patient’s already difficult condition. That is why, at the first signs of the disease, you should consult an experienced gastroenterologist.
Diet for gastritis
As mentioned above, diet is the key to a successful and quick treatment for any erosive gastritis. Doctors recommend that the patient completely abandon the fried and pickled. It is also necessary to exclude various spices, canned foods, smoked meats and pickles. In addition, you should not eat sweets, including pastries, chocolate, coffee, strong tea, alcohol, carbonated drinks, natural freshly squeezed juices, lemons and other citrus fruits.
The diet of a patient diagnosed with erosive gastritis should consist only of light soups. It is necessary to cook them from vegetables with the addition of a small amount of lean meat (for example, chicken breast, veal, turkey). Also recommends eating hercules, pearl barley and buckwheat porridge without butter. Sometimes you can pamper yourself with mashed potatoes, vegetable stews and other dietary products.
In addition to all the above dishes, a person with erosive gastritis is prescribed such sour-milk ingredients as rural cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir and so on. However, they should not be too fat or too acidic. By the way, it is better to exclude milk from your diet, as it causes flatulence.
Boiled fish (low-fat) and steamed eggs in the form of omelet can become a source of protein during the diet.
Also, special attention should be paid to diet. The patient should sit at the dinner table 5 times a day. In this case, portions of food should be small. Products should be chewed carefully so that coarse and sinewy pieces do not injure the walls of the digestive organ.