An inflammation of the stomach mucosa is called gastritis by doctors (Greek gaster = stomach). Inflammation of the stomach lining is a common disease that can have various causes. There is an acute form of inflammation of the stomach lining, acute gastritis and three types of chronic inflammation of the stomach lining.
Acute gastritis can be triggered, for example, by an excess of alcohol or by taking painkillers such as aspirin. Chronic type A gastritis (5% of chronic gastritis) is caused by autoimmune processes, while chronic type B gastritis is present in 80% of chronic inflammatory cases and is caused by a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori. The chronic inflammation of the type C gastric mucosa is caused by chemical toxins, such as the permanent intake of painkillers of the NSAID group (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like diclofenac or ibuprofen. Besides this classification of inflammatory forms, there are even rarer special forms such as Crohn’s gastritis or eosinophilic gastritis. Depending on the cause and type of the gastritis, there are various treatment options available.
Symptoms
Patients with acute gastritis complain of loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. In addition, there is pain or a feeling of pressure in the upper abdomen, frequent belching and an unpleasant taste in the mouth. In contrast, chronic inflammation of the stomach lining often proceeds without symptoms.
However, it is possible that patients with chronic gastritis may complain of loss of appetite, diffuse abdominal pain in the upper abdomen and nausea or vomiting. In addition to the symptoms described above, patients with type A gastritis may also suffer from vitamin B-12 deficiency, since autoimmune gastritis destroys the cells that produce the intrinsic factor required for the absorption of vitamin B12. Patients with type B gastritis may have unpleasant bad breath. Patients whose stomach mucosa is severely damaged by the chronic inflammation may be noticed by the vomiting of fresh and/or coagulated blood (so-called coffee grounds or blood vomiting) as well as black tar stools (bowel movements with digested blood).
