In recent decades, diseases of the digestive system are increasingly common. A large load is placed on the stomach due to a sedentary lifestyle and an improper diet. In addition, people consume a large number of drugs, and the growing food industry creates many unhealthy foods. All this led to the fact that signs of gastritis and stomach ulcers very often appear in people. Already not only the elderly, but also young people, and even children, experience abdominal pain, dyspepsia, heartburn. For many people, these symptoms have become familiar, and they do not go to the doctors, coping with them on their own. But such an attitude can lead to sad consequences. Therefore, you do not have to go to the clinic with a trip, but consult a doctor as soon as you notice signs of ulcer and gastritis.
Features of these diseases
Modern lifestyle requires a person to be more attentive to their health. Sometimes signs of gastritis and stomach ulcers are mistaken for ordinary malaise or food poisoning. Why can not they be ignored? With gastritis, the gastric mucosa becomes inflamed, which is accompanied by a violation of its secretory function. This leads to a violation of the digestion of food. In addition to unpleasant sensations, the process can lead to a lack of nutrients in the blood. In addition, without treatment, such inflammation does not pass, but only develops, because food constantly enters the stomach, irritating the inflamed mucosa. Gastritis becomes chronic, and if a person continues to lead such a lifestyle, then an ulcer occurs. This disease is protracted: periods of exacerbation are followed by remission. Some do not even have symptoms of stomach ulcers at this time . Signs of it appear only during exacerbations. But without ulcer treatment, serious complications can develop, including oncology.
Causes of stomach diseases
- Chemical poisoning.
- Uncontrolled use of medicines, especially the Aspirin medication, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics.
- Bad habits - drinking and smoking.
- Improper diet: overeating or eating at night, poor chewing or eating dry food.
- Eating very hot or cold foods, spicy seasonings, fried foods and semi-finished foods.
- Often, signs of gastritis and stomach ulcers appear even at a young age due to a hereditary predisposition.
- Sometimes inflammation of the mucosa occurs due to intoxication with kidney disease.
All these reasons have been identified by scientists for a long time, but sometimes it happened that signs of gastritis and stomach ulcers were found even in healthy people who ate properly. And at the beginning of the 21st century, the main cause of mucosal inflammation was discovered.
What causes gastritis and ulcers
Scientists have discovered a special bacterium that can live in the gastric mucosa. She is very tenacious and causes many problems. They called her Helibacter. It turned out that this microorganism is present in the body in 90% of people, but not everyone gets sick. His activity is successfully suppressed by strong immunity. But with stress, overwork or a decrease in the body's defenses, Helicobacter pylori is activated and causes inflammation. If you do not pay attention to it and begin to treat it, the bacterium corrodes the walls of the stomach and an ulcer occurs. After all, it has long been noticed that the ulcer exacerbates more often in those who are nervous, overwork and do not get enough sleep. Therefore, you need to know how these diseases manifest themselves in order to start treatment on time.
Gastritis - signs
Symptoms of this disease are known to many, although sometimes they are mistaken for dysbiosis or food poisoning. Acute gastritis is especially difficult, but it is because of this that patients in most cases receive medical care. And if the disease has a chronic form or is almost asymptomatic, often the necessary therapy is not carried out. Therefore, you need to know what kind of disease it is - gastritis, signs, symptoms and treatment methods. How to find out that a person is sick?
- There are aching or sharp pains in the upper abdomen, they can calm down after eating, but it happens and vice versa.
- Constant nausea, especially in the morning and after eating, often vomiting, belching, or heartburn.
- Sometimes there is reduced appetite, flatulence and bloating. After eating, there is a feeling of heaviness, overflow of the stomach.
- Often added to this is an intestinal upset - diarrhea or constipation.
- In advanced cases, when the body experiences a lack of nutrients due to malabsorption, there may be weakness, low blood pressure, irritability and palpitations.
But not always the patient himself can recognize the signs of gastritis in his stomach. Symptoms may not appear clearly, especially in a chronic course. Moreover, there are several varieties of the disease, and in many cases only a doctor can make a diagnosis after a special examination.
Types of gastritis
This disease is widespread for a long time and scientists have been well studied, therefore, there are many varieties of gastritis. But most often it is divided by the functions of gastric juice:
1. Gastritis with normal acidity. In this case, the secretion of the stomach is not broken, only inflammation of the mucosa due to exposure to chemicals or bacterial infection is observed.
2. Gastritis with high acidity is common. This can be explained by a passion for products that stimulate the production of gastric juice, or some medications. This form is characterized by frequent heartburn, sour belching, constipation and pulling abdominal pain at night or during hunger.
3. Gastritis with low acidity can be recognized by frequent nausea, especially in the morning, decreased appetite, flatulence and an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth. During meals, a feeling of fullness of the stomach quickly arises.
When gastritis can develop
Now gastric diseases are much younger. Increasingly, you can find signs of gastritis in a child, even at preschool age. This can be explained not only by the deterioration of the environmental situation. Early refusal of breastfeeding and the introduction of complementary foods negatively affect the health of the baby’s stomach. In a child, the final formation of the digestive system ends by seven years. Prior to this, all infections, colds, helminthic infestations, stresses and inaccuracies in nutrition strongly affect her and cause malfunctions in her work. The signs of gastritis in a child are slightly different from those observed in adults. Young children can simply refuse to eat, become moody and irritable. An older child has severe abdominal pain, which intensifies after eating.
Symptoms of a stomach ulcer
Signs of it look a bit like gastritis, but there are also features. Pain most often occurs after a while after eating and disappears after taking antacid drugs. Pain can be given to the back and spread to the entire abdominal cavity. As with gastritis, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite and flatulence are observed. But an ulcer is not characterized by fever, diarrhea and dizziness. These are signs of poisoning or infection.
The ulcer is characterized by periods of exacerbations, most often in spring and autumn. They can last up to two months, and remission sometimes lasts several years. At this time, even traces of an ulcer are not observed, and then it arises again. Stressful situations, a decrease in immunity, prolonged overwork and the use of certain drugs provoke its development.
What is an ulcer dangerous
Sometimes signs of ulcers and gastritis do not appear, and the patient does not receive timely treatment, because he does not see a doctor. But even the asymptomatic course of the disease is very dangerous. After all, an ulcer is not just inflammation of the mucosa, it is its destruction. It does not go away on its own, and in order to avoid complications, you need to not only take the medicines prescribed by your doctor, but also change your lifestyle. After all, this disease is dangerous for its consequences. What complications can arise with an ulcer?
1. Bleeding occurs very often. They can be hidden, which are manifested only by blood impurities in vomiting or feces, weakness and other symptoms of blood loss. In this case, anemia develops. If the bleeding is severe, the patient needs immediate medical attention.
2. Sometimes with an ulcer, stenosis is observed - narrowing of the lower part of the stomach. It is manifested by vomiting, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach and frequent burping.
3. The most dangerous consequence of an ulcer is perforation, or perforation, which in a short time can cause the death of the patient. Therefore, everyone who suffers from this disease needs to know the signs of an exacerbation of a stomach ulcer in order to take action on time, follow a diet and take medicine.
4. An ulcer can also cause stomach cancer. The first symptoms of it do not cause much concern: a change in taste, weight loss, dull abdominal pain.
Perforation
This is the most common complication of this disease that can lead to death. If the ulcer is not treated, it corrodes all layers of the wall of the stomach. And through this hole, the contents are thrown into the abdominal cavity. This leads to peritonitis, which can cause death in a short time. Signs of a perforated stomach ulcer are difficult to confuse with something. The main symptom is an acute, very severe pain in the abdomen. Patients characterize her as a dagger strike. The pain does not subside, but only grows. And it intensifies with coughing, any movement, and even a deep breath. In addition, signs of bleeding are observed: vomiting with blood, weakness, dizziness, and tinnitus. Hydrochloric acid and other stomach contents cause inflammation of the peritoneum.
Stomach Disease Treatment
Although the signs of gastritis and stomach ulcers are different, the basic principles of treatment are common. The most important thing is to eliminate the cause of inflammation, and you can determine it after a medical examination. What methods are used in the treatment of these diseases?
- Lifestyle changes: quitting smoking, alcohol, observing the daily routine and avoiding stressful situations.
- Particular attention should be paid to the diet. Eat often and in small portions. Exclude from the diet all fried, fatty, spicy and pickled. Canned food, sauces, pastries, concentrated broths, smoked meats and coffee are not allowed. Complications can cause bread, grapes, sour cream and strong tea.
- Be sure to take medication prescribed by a doctor. With an ulcer, 3-4 drugs are usually prescribed at the same time (these are Cimetidine, Nizotidine, Likvirshpon, Flakarbin, Almagel, vitamins E and B1, etc. in various combinations).
- To alleviate the condition of the patient, folk remedies, physiotherapy and spa treatment are often used.
Folk methods
Any symptoms of stomach problems can help relieve herbs. You can brew them simply with boiling water, but to make the action more effective, there are several unusual ways:
- Add 2 tablespoons of thyme herb to 0.5 liters of white wine and refrigerate for a week. Then boil for a few minutes and strain. Infusion take 2 teaspoons before meals.
- You can make a decoction of chamomile, yarrow and celandine in milk. Insist grass for a couple of hours, and then drink during the day.
- The most effective infusions are obtained in a thermos. So, you can make a medicine from chamomile with flax seeds, from elecampane or licorice root.
Beekeeping products very well help with inflammation of the gastric mucosa:
- For a month every day you need to eat 10 grams of propolis. It is very important to chew it carefully.
- An effective medicine from sea buckthorn with honey. You need to boil 3 tablespoons of berries in a glass of water for 10 minutes and add 3 tablespoons of honey. Drink an infusion of half a teaspoon in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Even ordinary warm water with a spoonful of honey dissolved in it will help make the symptoms of stomach ulcers in adults less pronounced.