Chronic atrophic gastritis is a disease of the stomach. It is characterized by pathological changes in the mucous membrane. The number of glands secreting gastric juice is reduced. Against the background of chronic atrophic gastritis, pathologies often develop that lead to gastric cancer.
The causes of chronic atrophic gastritis are very diverse. Most often, atrophy of the gastric mucosa is provoked by the rod-shaped bacterium Helicobacter pylori (Helicobacter pylori). The causative agent of the infection causes superficial gastritis. Inattention to this problem and the lack of proper treatment ultimately lead to chronic atrophic gastritis. If there are many lesions, then the disease is called multifocal. The further the disease develops, the greater the area of the organ is affected.
Focal atrophic gastritis
Chronic focal atrophic gastritis is a type of gastritis. Atrophic lesions form in the gastric mucosa. In these foci, the cells and glands responsible for the secretion of hydrochloric acid and pepsin die off. They are replaced by epithelial tissue. As a result, the secretory function of the stomach decreases, acidity decreases, and the mucous membrane becomes thinner. This is the initial stage of atrophy. The course of the process is autoimmune, which only worsens the matter - the formed autoantibodies begin to affect their own glands.
Chronic atrophic gastritis: symptoms of the disease
The symptomatic picture of atrophic gastritis is quite characteristic. Patient complaints usually sound like this:
- the stomach does not hurt, but after eating, heaviness appears, a feeling of fullness;
- after each meal there is an eructation with an unpleasant taste, and then heartburn;
- appetite decreased, stomach rumbles and gurgles;
- constant constipation and diarrhea, which alternate with each other.
For chronic atrophic gastritis, a change in weight upward or its norm is not characteristic. The secretory function of the stomach decreases, and the patient loses much weight. Problems with the absorption of necessary substances lead to a deficiency of vitamins A and C. The skin becomes dry and pale, and vision decreases. Gums bleed, hair falls out, nails crumble. Sometimes sweating, dizziness and weakness after eating, as well as burning sensation in the tongue and paresthesia (sensitivity disorder) appear.
Analyzes
Changes in laboratory parameters are not characteristic of chronic gastritis. Only in combination with anemia is a decrease in hemoglobin observed, and the color indices of red blood cells also change.
One of the most reliable methods is endoscopy. This study allows you to very carefully examine the esophagus, stomach and duodenum. In chronic gastritis, the mucous membrane of the stomach is pale gray, with damage. Due to its thinning, the vascular pattern becomes better visible, the area of the folds is smaller. The final conclusion is made after examining the material taken for a biopsy, which the doctor receives from the gastric mucosa during the procedure.
One of the diagnostic procedures is stool analysis. In the feces of a patient suffering from chronic atrophic gastritis, unchanged muscle fibers, as well as fiber and starch, are observed.
An ultrasound of the liver, pancreas, gall bladder is also performed to diagnose concomitant pathologies.
Chronic atrophic gastritis: exacerbation
In acute atrophic gastritis, edema of the walls of the stomach, plethora of vessels, destruction of the epithelium, and sometimes even erosion, as well as leukocyte infiltration from the vessels to the outside are observed. Symptoms are often quite severe: severe pain, dyspepsia, high fever. Consciousness is often disturbed - the patient faints and may even fall into a coma.
Treatment
How to treat chronic focal atrophic gastritis? Treatment should be comprehensive. In the period of exacerbation, medication is needed, which includes anticholinergics acting on the peripheral nervous system. These medications are used to relieve pain. Antacids that regulate the acidity of the gastrointestinal tract are also highly effective.
The next point in complex treatment is proper nutrition and control over body weight. This helps prevent the development of stomach cancer.
One cannot but pay tribute to spa treatment, as well as physical exercises and physiotherapy. These components, which for some reason are often underestimated, are simply necessary for the correct and complete treatment.
Diet
Is it possible to cure chronic atrophic gastritis? A diet for gastritis can not only prevent deterioration, but also accelerate the healing process. First of all, you need to avoid smoked meats, canned and pickled products, refuse tobacco and alcohol, fried, fatty, salty. Overeating is as dangerous as malnutrition, so the whole daily diet should be divided into several receptions and eat strictly by the hour.
With low acidity, milk, baking and fresh bread are also excluded, and with high acidity , sour-milk products, tomatoes, spicy and sour foods, rich meat soups.
Prevention
Since gastritis is caused by a specific pathogen, the best prevention is timely treatment for infection. In itself, it lasts one to two weeks and is a course of taking antibiotics that the doctor prescribes (independence in this matter can be very harmful, therefore self-medication is strictly prohibited).
Proper nutrition is considered important in the prevention of gastritis. It has long been observed that people with eating disorders are much more likely to suffer stomach damage. Snacks on the run, fast food, lack of a normal schedule and overeating at night lead to disorders, a decrease in immune functions and increase the risk of gastritis and ulcers.
Alternative methods of treatment
How else can you get rid of a disease such as chronic atrophic gastritis? Treatment with folk remedies is possible, but it is worth remembering that self-medication can only worsen the situation. And although doctors often prescribe folk remedies themselves, they should be taken only under the direct supervision of a specialist.
Below are recipes that help relieve symptoms and even cure chronic atrophic gastritis.
Calamus rhizome tincture
What grandmother's methods can heal chronic atrophic gastritis? Treatment with folk remedies can be effective in combination with medications and exclusively under the supervision of a specialist.
Air is a grassy evergreen. Its root enhances the secretion of gastric juice, reduces the risk of upsets, and also improves appetite and helps the absorption of food. This remedy has a large number of advantages, it is used not only for gastritis, but also for many other diseases (bronchitis, sinusitis, circulatory disorders). Preparing a tincture of three ingredients:
- 100 grams of honey;
- 15 grams of crushed rhizomes of calamus;
- 1 liter of cognac.
The plant is filled with cognac, and then infused for 6 weeks. After this, you need to strain the liquid, add honey and leave for another month. Ideally, you need to strain the tincture again, bottle it and put it in a dark place for another six months. But in principle, you can already start taking the medicine if you can’t wait. Dosage - one teaspoon before meals twice a day. Relief will come pretty quickly.
Blueberries
This berry has a beneficial effect on the entire digestive tract as a whole. For example, it stops diarrhea, prevents colic, relieves the stomach of the causative agent of Helicobacter pylori infection and restores the thinned mucous membrane. For the treatment of gastritis, exclusively fresh blueberries are used, grated with sugar (one teaspoon in the morning). Jam will not work, because after cooking the berries lose almost all of their healing properties.
Banana
This fruit works as an absorbent and anti-inflammatory agent. Therefore, with gastritis, it is recommended to eat bananas daily as a dessert.
Dill
The seeds of this plant, boiled for two minutes in boiling water, treat gastritis and relieve unpleasant symptoms. The plus is that even small children can drink this broth.
Caraway
This seasoning is added to soups, salads and main dishes. Very effective for the treatment of gastritis are medicinal teas with caraway seeds. A tablespoon of seeds is poured with water, boiled and infused for half an hour. Such a decoction is best drunk in the morning and in the evening, combining with other folk remedies.
Chamomile infusion
Alternative treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis is possible with the help of chamomile infusion. Everyone knows the soothing properties of chamomile. They also manifest them in relation to the irritated gastric mucosa. The advantage of this drink is that you can drink it to absolutely everyone, because it is completely safe for health (with the exception of an allergy to chamomile). Two tablespoons of grass is poured with a liter of boiling water, insisted, and then filtered. You can add honey, lemon or raspberry juice. Together with the correct diet and other folk remedies, chamomile copes with gastritis.
Rosehip broth
The high content of vitamins and minerals in rose hips speaks for itself. This plant is useful in any disease, as it has a general tonic effect on the body. Among other things, rosehip cures gastritis. For four to six weeks, it is recommended to drink a decoction prepared according to a certain technology: berries and leaves are mixed in equal proportions, four tablespoons of the mixture are poured with a liter of water. After boiling, the broth is cooked for another 10 minutes, and then they are drunk 3-4 times a day between meals. Often gastritis passes after the first course, but if this does not happen, you need to take a break, and then treat it with broth again.
Jelly
Since natural kissels perfectly envelop the digestive tract, they are used in the treatment of gastritis to restore the gastric mucosa. However, too sweet or too acidic jelly can worsen the already broken acidity of the stomach, so the choice of berries and the cooking process must be carefully monitored. For cooking, it is better to choose high-quality berries of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.
Herbal harvest number 1
The most commonly used folk remedies for the treatment of gastritis are herbal preparations. The first is considered the most effective. The fee includes:
- 100 grams of hypericum;
- 50 grams of plantain;
- 50 grams of yarrow;
- 20 grams of flaxseed;
- 50 grams of peppermint leaves;
- 20 grams of yarrow herb;
- 50 grams of angelica root ;
- 50 grams of caraway seeds.
All herbs are thoroughly mixed, one spoonful of the mixture is poured with a glass of water. You can’t boil the mixture, you just need to heat it strongly. After that, she insists for 10 minutes. They drink such a decoction only hot, an hour before meals. Herbal collection treatment No. 1 continues until the disease completely disappears.
Herbal harvest number 2
This mixture of herbs is designed to normalize the activity of the stomach. To prepare it, you need to take 50 grams:
- triad leaves;
- mint leaves;
- wormwood herbs;
- dill seeds;
- clover herbs ;
- grass meadow trails;
- sage leaves;
- angelica root;
- St. John's wort
- immortelle;
- rhizomes of calamus.
One tablespoon of a mixture of herbs is poured with one glass of boiling water. After that, you need to let her brew for three hours, and then strain. The infusion is drunk three times a day in one glass. In order to completely get rid of gastritis, restore the walls of the stomach and improve well-being, herbal collection No. 2 should be drunk for at least two months.