What is gastric inflammation?
Gastric inflammation is a condition whereby the protective stomach lining becomes red, swollen, and is suddenly or severely inflamed. Untreated inflammation of the gut lining has the potential to become chronic and bleeding if not treated well or on time. They even lead to gastric ulcers.
What is gastric ulcer?
Open sores on the stomach lining and walls, which result from the erosion or damage of the stomach lining, caused due to prolonged gastric inflammation.
What are the symptoms for gastric inflammation?
Common symptoms of gastritis observed are:-
- A loss of appetite
- The pit of the stomach has a burning sensation also termed indigestion
- The tendency to have nausea or vomit post meals or on empty stomach
- Discomfort when liquids or solids are ingested
What are the symptoms of gastric ulcer?
Gastric ulcer in an advanced form of gastric inflammation, therefore, a patient apart from the symptoms of gastric inflammation, also suffers from-
- Acute loss of weight
- Disinterest in food
- Stinging pain in abdomen, especially behind belly button
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bloating and flatulence
- Heartburn
How is gastric inflammation or gastric ulcer diagnosed?
Diagnosis of the condition of inflammation and ulcer depends on the severity of the symptoms and condition. Commonly routine blood tests and stool tests are conducted to check the presence of the H. pylori infection. There are other specific tests, namely,
- Endoscopy or gastroscopy- A procedure whereby a tube which is thin and has a small light is passed through the oesophagus, to the stomach, to the first part of the intestine. The light tube and the camera attached helps locate gastric inflammation or gastric ulcers on the walls of the stomach.
- X-Ray’s post swallow of Barium- This procedure requires the patient to ingest a small amount of Barium, which would coat the gastrointestinal tract, making it possible for the doctor to observe the GI.
- Small Biopsies- small pieces from the stomach are sectioned and removed, at varied locations and thus analysed under laboratorial processes.
The causes for Gastric inflammation or gastric ulcers are:-
- Long term and undiagnosed infection in the stomach by the bacterial strain of Helicobacter pylori.
- Abuse or reckless misuse of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs)
- Presence of rare malignant or non-malignant tumors in the stomach.
Gastric inflammation treatment:
The gastric inflammation treatment depends on the severity of the condition of the patient. There are home remedies, lifestyle changes which can form the part of the gastric inflammation treatment, for minor to mild cases and conditions. Gastric inflammation treatment also vastly depends on the other prescribed medicines. A change in prescribed NSAIDs may also be a part of the treatment plan. Lifestyle changes like diet changes, losing weight could also act as a catalyst for fast and effective treatment for moderate cases.
For acute cases, after the identification of the cause, the above mentioned changes are made, along with medications including PPI is considered as intensive gastric inflammation treatment.
Gastric Ulcer Treatment
A comprehensive gastric ulcer treatment plan is not a standard treatment plan. While most of the gastric ulcers get treated by long term prescription medication, some of the chronic cases need surgical gastric ulcer treatment.
Non-surgical gastric ulcer treatment includes-
- In case the condition is caused by H. pylori bacteria, along with strong antibacterial antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s) are needed.
- A healthy ritual of probiotics in diet is introduced.
- The use of NSAIDs is stopped
- Bismuth supplements are provided.
The side effects caused by these are temporary and non-threatening. They tend to subside after a while.
When the patient suffers from a gastric ulcer that refuses to heal, keeps relapsing, bleeds, is there on the wall of the stomach, then in such rare but chronic cases, surgical gastric ulcer treatment is prescribed. The surgical procedure includes removal of the ulcer, then taking another segment from the intestine to patch over the removed segment. In some cases the artery is tied to prevent bleeding, also, the nerve supply is restricted to inhibit stomach acid production.
While gastric inflammation and gastric ulcer not seem threatening due to a reduced risk of surgery, they can be a cause of severe suffering and trauma for the patient.