A disease such as gastric erosion is considered by gastroenterologists to be among the most common gastroduodenal ailments in humans. This disease is detected in every tenth patient who has been examined with an endoscope. What is erosion of the stomach? Symptoms, causes, treatment of this disease - these are the points that will be discussed in detail in this article.
Causes that may cause erosion of the stomach
For the first time, the disease in question in the article proposed to you was described in the mid-18th century. For obvious reasons, the main factors that could have caused erosion of the mucosa of the digestive tract in those days have changed, but many of them are still relevant. Similar diseases most often develop as a result of a failure in the balance of aggressive and protective factors of the internal environment of the digestive organs. A completely different question is what caused such violations. Among the main factors provoking the development of erosion, experts call the following:
- injury to the stomach by the ingress of foreign objects into it or subsequently bruises and wounds;
- digestive surgery (stomach and duodenum);
- frequent exposure to stressful situations, a systematic surge of strong negative emotions;
- concomitant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as pancreatitis;
- diseases of the liver and gall bladder, such as cirrhosis, liver failure, cholelithiasis;
- cardiovascular disease ;
- ingestion of salts of heavy metals, acids or alkalis in the stomach.
There are also a number of factors in which erosion of the stomach, symptoms, the causes of which are often not connected by the patient together, cause bad habits or food addictions, such as:
- constant consumption of too hot, spicy food;
- frequent alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking;
- the use of drugs without observing the recommended dosage and timing of treatment.
In recent years, thanks to the development of high medical technology, involvement in the occurrence of erosion of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract and bacteria Helicobacter pylori has been revealed.
Types of erosion of the stomach
There are several types of diseases such as erosion of the stomach, the symptoms and treatment of which are somewhat different from each other:
- Primary erosion, arising as an independent disease due to stress, abuse of alcohol and drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and others.
- Secondary erosion, which is considered a complication of diseases such as renal or hepatic insufficiency, blood diseases, tumors in the intestines.
- Malignant erosion, which is formed against a background of ongoing diseases classified as cancer, including lymphoma, Crohn’s disease, and others.
Erosions can be single or multiple. As the names suggest, this can be determined by the number of foci of mucosal lesions in the organ. In addition to types of erosion, experts have identified several more positions by which they distinguish the forms and types of this disease.
Forms of the disease
Like any other disease, erosion of the stomach, symptoms, the treatment of which may depend on the form of the course, is divided into:
- Acute, the location of which is most often observed in that part of the body, which is usually called the "bottom". The main external signs of the acute form are the absence of layering of the epithelium on the body of erosion, a weak degree of infiltration by lymphocytic cells and the almost complete absence of fibrin deposits at its base. Symptoms of acute erosion of the stomach are always very bright and painful, their intensity and strength are much higher than those observed with peptic ulcer. Treatment of acute forms of the disease in most cases lasts no more than 2 weeks.
- Chronic, which is most often localized in the antrum of the stomach and consists mainly of so-called granulation tissue. The edges of erosion in this form are surrounded by layers of hyperplastic epithelium, and dilated capillaries and dystrophy of the ventricular glands are observed at the bottom. Chronic erosion of the antrum, the symptoms of which are somewhat milder than in the acute form, requires longer treatment for 2-6 months or longer. The duration of therapy may depend on the degree of damage to the gastric mucosa and the susceptibility of the body to drugs.
Types of erosion
Stomach erosion (symptoms, photos are presented in this article) can be of several types:
- Hemorrhagic deep or superficial, which is characterized by the presence of blood plaque on the surface and is surrounded by a pale edematous membrane.
- The surface is flat, which has a hyperemic rim around the body and a clean bottom, sometimes with a whitish coating on it.
- Complete or hyperplastic inflammatory, the main sign of which is the polypoid shape of the body of erosion, located at the highest point of the folds of the stomach with a small edema.
Symptoms
If a person has erosion of the stomach, the symptoms of the disease usually immediately talk about it, since, according to experts, erosion of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract is always more painful than ulceration. The symptomatic picture includes the following phenomena:
- soreness in the epigastric region, which, depending on the form of the disease, is localized in the hypochondrium or center of the abdomen;
- belching;
- nausea and vomiting;
- hungry pains.
Signs of bleeding with erosion of the stomach
Bleeding (hemorrhagic) erosion of the stomach, the symptoms of which are not always obvious, can be expressed by the following symptoms:
- weakness and fatigue;
- lower hemoglobin levels;
- duodenogastric reflux or a violation of the process of removing bile from the body;
- the presence of blood in the feces, which is often expressed by a change in their color to black.
All the above signs and symptoms, talking about problems with the gastrointestinal tract, should be a signal to immediately contact the nearest clinic, where the patient will be asked to undergo a detailed examination using the most modern diagnostic methods.
The main methods for diagnosing erosion of the stomach
Diagnostic procedures for the suspected presence of erosion of the stomach include a mandatory endoscopic examination, designed to reveal information about the location of the foci of affected tissues, their number and appearance. During this procedure, it is possible to take parts of the gastric mucosa to determine the causes of the onset of the disease, as well as to exclude cancer.
In addition, to collect complete information that will help determine the choice of the most effective method of therapy, biochemical studies of the blood, urine and feces of the patient may be required.
Conservative treatment of erosion: medicines, surgery
The main goal of treating erosion of the stomach is its healing, the elimination of pain and the prevention of bleeding. Secondary erosion also implies treatment of the underlying disease, which resulted in complications with the stomach. Gastroenterologists offer patients a list of drugs in the following groups:
- Gastroprotective agents, which include Saitotek, Simaldrat and Gelusil.
- Cholinolytic drugs - the drug "Scopolamine" or "Atropine".
- Histamine blockers include Gastrozole, Omeprazole, Cimetidine, Ranitidine, Omez, and Metronidazole medicines.
- Antacids - calcium carbonate, preparations "Almagel", "Maalox" and others.
- Drugs with enveloping action - aluminum hydroxide, bismuth or white clay.
If bleeding hemorrhagic erosion of the stomach occurs, the symptoms of which are quite pronounced, treatment is primarily aimed at stopping bleeding and includes washing the stomach with cold water and intravenous infusion of blood or its components. In addition, injection of aminocaproic acid, vicasol and fibrinogen is mandatory, which allows you to increase blood coagulation and prevent its large losses.
To reduce the risk of developing polyps at the site of erosion, laser or electrocoagulation is carried out in a hospital. In especially severe cases with systematic bleeding, the patient may undergo endoscopic or abdominal surgery, during which part of the stomach affected by erosion is removed.
Alternative methods of treating erosion of the stomach
Often, gastroenterologists advise to resort to folk remedies when treating a disease such as stomach erosion, the symptoms of which indicate the absence of internal bleeding. It is worth noting that here we are not talking about replacing drugs with various decoctions and infusions. In a disease known as gastric erosion (symptoms, treatment with folk remedies should be carefully discussed with a doctor), "grandmother" methods are additional to relieve pain and reduce the recovery time of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract.
As anti-inflammatory drugs, it is recommended to take herbal tea with chamomile, St. John's wort and yarrow. A decoction of knotweed, sage and mint has a good effect. It is better to drink such teas half an hour or an hour before a meal. It is very good to use natural bee honey as a sweetener for herbal medicinal teas, adding it to a cup of broth 1-2 tsp. In addition, it has been proven to have a positive effect on the gastric mucosa during erosion of purified propolis, which must be slowly absorbed in the mouth for an hour every morning.
A prerequisite for the treatment of gastric erosion is a diet, which provides for the complete exclusion from the patient’s menu of fatty and fried foods, spicy seasonings, pickles and smoked meats, marinades and alcohol.