Acute Gastritis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments!
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Acute Gastritis is a separate condition from gastroenteritis. Acute Gastritis only directly affects the stomach and can include nausea or vomiting , while gastroenteritis affects the stomach and intestines. Symptoms of gastroenteritis can include diarrhea in addition to nausea or vomiting .
Although the prevalence of chronic gastritis has declined in developing countries in recent years, acute gastritis is still common.
Main Causes: It occurs when the stomach lining is damaged or weak, which causesdigestive acids to irritate the stomach . Several factors can damage the stomach lining. The National Institute of Health (NIH) lists the following causes of Acute Gastritis : Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids.
Most Common Causes:
- Bacterial infections like Helicobacter pylori. Between 20 and 50 percent of acute gastritis cases in the United States are caused by H. pylori.
- Excessive alcohol consumption.
Less Common Causes:
- Viral infections;
- extreme stress ;
- Autoimmune diseases, which can cause the immune system to attack the stomach lining ;
- Digestive diseases and disorders such as Crohn’s disease;
- Bile reflux;
- Cocaine use;
- Ingestion of corrosive substances, such as poison;
- Surgery;
- Renal insufficiency;
- Being on a respirator (NIH, 2011).
Main Symptoms: Some people have no symptoms at all. Others have symptoms that range from mild to severe. Common symptoms:
- loss of appetite;
- Indigestion ;
- Dark stools;
- nausea ;
- vomiting;
- Vomit with blood that looks like coffee granules;
- Pain in the abdomen;
- Sensation of fullness in the upper abdomen after meals.
Some of the symptoms associated with Acute Gastritis are also seen in other health conditions. It can be difficult to confirm Acute Gastritis without consulting with a doctor.
Treatments: If the individual suffers from any type of gastritis, the first thing to do is to take some measures to change some of the current eating habits and addictions to one that does not harm the stomach even more . The initial measures are:
- Cut Coffee.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
- Do not drink acidic drinks.
- Do not drink carbonated drinks.
- Avoid eating chocolates.
- Do not eat fatty foods.
- If the patient takes any type of medication, ask the doctor about its suspension or change of substances for this period.
- Maintain a healthy diet.
The doctor in that case will prescribe an appropriate medication for the treatment of Acute Gastritis . It is important to understand that Acute Gastritis is dangerous and that a doctor should be consulted. Never self-medicate, this can further aggravate the condition of Acute Gastritis .
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How to Prevent? By changing some daily eating habits and addictions, Acute Gastritis can be prevented. As we said before, with just a few measures in the treatment, they reduce the risks of increasing gastritis and in this case with the same measures, Acute Gastritis can be prevented.