Diagnosis
If you have stomach problems, your doctor will first take a detailed medical history. He will ask you about your exact symptoms, because in most cases you can diagnose inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach just by questioning them. After the medical history has been taken, the stomach will be examined and attention will be paid to redness or swelling.
An ultrasound examination or blood tests can also be ordered. However, in order to reliably diagnose an inflammation of the gastric mucosa, a gastroscopy must be performed. Only for type B gastritis caused by the HP bacterium is a breath test sufficient. By means of gastroscopy it can be determined exactly how bad the inflammation is and where exactly the stomach is inflamed. A sample of the gastric mucosa can also be taken during a gastroscopy, so that a suspicious spot in the stomach can also be examined for cancer or pathogens.
Is an inflammation of the stomach mucosa contagious?
Most types of gastritis are not contagious. Only type B gastritis caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacterium is considered to be contagious. In Germany alone, it can be detected in the stomach of many millions of people.
For most of them, it finds its way there in childhood, when the immune system is not yet powerful enough to fight the germ. It colonizes the entire stomach mucosa and can multiply there unnoticed for decades. It causes symptoms in only about 10% of affected people, and in an even smaller proportion it triggers gastritis by irritating the mucous membrane cells.
It is transmitted through the faeces of affected people. In this case it is sufficient that the hands have not been washed sufficiently after going to the toilet and the germ settles on the hands and as a result enters the digestive tract of other people through contact with food or direct oral contact. If there is a suspicion of suffering from gastritis, one should always consult a doctor for advice.
If the suspicion is confirmed, a gastroscopy is often performed to explain the exact cause and to distinguish between the different types. The detection of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori as the cause can be done in a simple test in the exhaled air. Already in this time of diagnostic search the affected person can positively influence his symptoms by correct behaviour.
General measures are also very valuable during the therapy and to prevent a renewed inflammation of the stomach mucosa. All changes in behavior should be based on a balanced lifestyle with avoidance of stress as a risk factor for increased gastric acid production. In addition to the development of heart attacks, stress is also considered a predictor of gastritis.
If no stress reduction is possible, learning various relaxation techniques can be helpful. As far as nutrition is concerned, it is also important to follow the advice listed below. Once the inflammation of the gastric mucosa has healed and the symptoms have subsided, it is advisable to continue with the same lifestyle, as otherwise the inflammation can easily reoccur.
