What to do about gastritis pain?

Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 06, 2024
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Upper abdominal pain caused by gastritis is usually due to excessive secretion of gastric acid, which irritates the gastric mucosa. In such cases, acid-suppressing medications are preferred, commonly including H2 receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors, with proton pump inhibitors being the first choice. Treatment plans should also be determined based on underlying diseases and the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. If Helicobacter pylori infection is present, formal quadruple therapy should be initiated to eradicate the bacteria. If there is no infection, symptomatic treatment with proton pump inhibitors as the first choice is sufficient. Some patients may experience upper abdominal pain due to episodic gastric spasms. In such cases, antispasmodic pain relievers such as scopolamine butylbromide or anisodamine can be used for symptomatic treatment. It is also important to eat a light, easily digestible diet and to avoid exposure to cold. (Note: Please use medication under the guidance of a clinical doctor and based on specific circumstances.)

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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What can you eat with gastritis?

Gastritis is generally divided into two main categories: chronic non-atrophic gastritis and chronic atrophic gastritis. It is usually diagnosed by gastroscopy, and the treatment plan is determined based on the presence or absence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Also, it is necessary to develop good eating habits. It is important to eat on a regular schedule with controlled portions or small, frequent meals, and chew slowly and thoroughly. Try to avoid binge eating or extreme hunger or fullness. For staple foods, soft rice or noodles are generally recommended, accompanied by fresh vegetables, etc. As for meat, it should be prepared in a light and easy-to-digest manner during cooking, and it is best to avoid too raw, greasy, spicy, or stimulating foods. Additionally, maintaining a good mood can also be helpful.

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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How to maintain gastric health usually?

Chronic gastritis is a common upper gastrointestinal disease, and it often relapses, so regular maintenance is particularly important. It is essential to develop good dietary and living habits, such as not getting chilled and avoiding excessive fatigue, quitting smoking and drinking, and eating a diet that is as light and digestible as possible. Eating regularly and in moderation, or having small, frequent meals, thoroughly chewing your food slowly rather than gobbling it down, minimizing stimulation from greasy, raw, or spicy foods, and maintaining a good mood all help.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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What should you eat more of if you have gastritis?

Patients with gastritis should primarily consume a light and easily digestible diet. Firstly, porridge can be eaten, including millet porridge, Chinese yam porridge, coix seed porridge, and eel porridge. Secondly, soups such as chicken soup, pork rib soup, duck soup, and fish soup can be consumed. During the preparation of these soups, ingredients like Codonopsis, Astragalus, Poria, and coix seeds can be added, which are effective in strengthening the spleen, facilitating dampness removal, and nourishing the stomach, making them beneficial dietary therapy methods. Thirdly, well-cooked noodles can be eaten, as they also have a certain stomach-nourishing effect. Fourth, if consuming meat, it must be thoroughly stewed until soft before eating. This makes it less likely to burden the digestive tract and easier to digest, making it more suitable for patients with chronic gastritis.

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Written by Wu Peng
Gastroenterology
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What are the symptoms of gastritis?

Chronic gastritis often lacks specific clinical manifestations, and the correlation between the pathological histological examination results of the gastric mucosa and the clinical manifestations is also relatively poor. Some patients show changes in the mucosa indicative of gastritis during gastroscopy, and pathological histological examinations reveal inflammation, but they may have no or only mild clinical symptoms. The clinical manifestations of most chronic gastritis are merely upper gastrointestinal dyspeptic symptoms, such as a sense of fullness in the upper abdomen, irregular dull pain, belching, decreased appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and worsening upper abdominal discomfort after eating. Patients with chronic gastritis often have no obvious specific physical signs; some may have mild upper abdominal tenderness or discomfort upon palpation. Patients with gastric mucosal lesions may have positive fecal occult blood tests; however, vomiting blood or having black stool is very rare, and long-term poor appetite or minor bleeding might be accompanied by anemia. In severe cases of atrophic gastritis and pernicious anemia, significant anemia symptoms may be present.

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Written by Wu Hai Wu
Gastroenterology
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Does gastritis infect people?

Regarding whether gastritis can be contagious, it requires specific analysis of the circumstances. If the gastritis is caused by an infection of Helicobacter pylori, then it can be transmitted to others through shared meals or fecal-oral transmission. Under such circumstances, if others do not maintain clean eating habits or overeat, they are at a higher risk of developing chronic gastritis. If the occurrence of gastritis is not due to an infection from Helicobacter pylori, then it will not be contagious to others. Patients with gastritis should be cautious with their diet, avoiding spicy and irritating foods, and should not overeat. It’s important to eat regularly and in moderate amounts, and maintain a bland diet.