What are the symptoms of gastritis?

Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 15, 2024
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Gastritis is a common gastrointestinal disease with a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and hiccups. Sometimes, patients may feel full quickly, such as feeling bloated, abdominal pain, and burping after eating, so the symptoms are generally not specific. If treatment is necessary, an initial choice could be a gastroscopy. If no issues are found during the gastroscopy, symptomatic treatment could be provided. However, if symptoms extend beyond gastrointestinal issues like abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and vomiting, and include anemia, fever, noticeable weight loss, and wasting, it is especially advised for elderly individuals to visit the hospital for further examinations including gastroscopy to rule out diseases such as gastric ulcers.

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How to treat gastritis

Gastritis is mostly caused by Helicobacter pylori infection, or factors such as improper diet, medications, and emotional stress, which lead to gastric mucosal damage. In terms of treatment, it is best to first conduct a gastroscopy and test for Helicobacter pylori to determine the type of gastritis and whether there is an infection. Treatment should then be guided by the results. If it is not possible to conduct these tests, one can use proton pump inhibitors to suppress stomach acid, in combination with gastric mucosal protectants. If reflux gastritis is present, prokinetic drugs should also be used to inhibit reflux. (Use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)

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How to alleviate gastritis pain?

The pain of chronic gastritis may be a problem with the gastritis itself, like irritation caused by excessive stomach acid. It can manifest as upper abdominal pain, acid reflux, heartburn, etc. This condition can be treated with acid-suppressing and mucosal-protecting medications. Proton pump inhibitors are generally the first choice, such as omeprazole, rabeprazole, lansoprazole, etc., which usually achieve the therapeutic goal. Additionally, if the acute stomach pain is caused by exposure to cold or inappropriate diet, this is usually accompanied by gastric spasms, showing as intermittent abdominal pain, even colic. In such cases, antispasmodic pain relievers, such as scopolamine butylbromide, can be appropriately used. At the same time, it is important to avoid cold exposures, and maintain a light, easy-to-digest diet. (Please use medications under professional medical guidance.)

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Can gastritis be cured?

Gastritis can be cured, primarily through medication, such as protecting the gastric mucosa, inhibiting gastric acid secretion, and appropriately using antibiotics. If there is a Helicobacter pylori infection, specific treatment for Helicobacter pylori must be conducted. After the treatment of gastritis, it is crucial to pay attention to dietary adjustments. Irregular eating habits can lead to the recurrence of gastritis. Therefore, it is advisable to maintain a light diet, consume more vegetables and fruits, eat less spicy and irritating food, avoid strong tea, coffee, and hard liquor which can damage the gastric mucosa, and keep a relaxed mood, which also positively affects the treatment of stomach diseases.

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Which is more serious, acute gastritis or chronic gastritis?

Acute gastritis is an acute lesion occurring in the gastric mucosa, which can cause significant abdominal pain. Mucosal rupture and bleeding can lead to gastric bleeding, and if there is a substantial amount of bleeding, it may cause vomiting blood. Chronic gastritis is a long-term, diffuse inflammation of the stomach, with the main symptoms being loss of appetite, abdominal pain, belching, and acid reflux. Relatively speaking, the symptoms of acute gastritis are more severe. The treatment for acute gastritis primarily involves the use of medications that suppress gastric acid secretion and protect the gastric mucosa. In terms of diet, it is important to eat cautiously, avoiding spicy and greasy foods, consuming more vegetables, and eating meals regularly and in moderation. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Can gastritis cause bad breath?

Gastritis can cause bad breath; the reasons may include poor digestion and reduced gastric motility in patients after developing gastritis, or possibly due to infection with Helicobacter pylori. Besides gastritis, other stomach diseases can also cause bad breath, such as peptic ulcers, malignant gastric tumors, and erosive gastritis, among others. Apart from stomach diseases, diseases related to the liver, gallbladder, and oral diseases can also cause bad breath. Therefore, when patients experience bad breath, they should visit the department of stomatology to determine if there are any oral diseases, complete imaging examinations of the liver and gallbladder, and, if necessary, also complete gastroscopic examinations.