Therapy

The therapy of chronic gastritis is carried out according to the cause. The most common form, type B gastritis, is caused by bacteria and is therefore treated with antibiotics. It has proven to be effective to carry out a so-called eradication therapy.

This is a combination therapy that consists of taking two different antibiotics together with a proton pump inhibitor. By the one-week intake the Helicobater pylori bacteria can be killed in approximately 90% of the cases. The proton pump inhibitor is given to make the stomach environment less acidic and thus improve the effect of the antibiotics.

If the initiated therapy does not prove to be effective, another combination is administered. In chronic type A gastritis, vitamin B12 injections are usually prescribed because this vitamin is very important for blood formation and cannot be sufficiently absorbed from the intestines in this form of inflammation. Regular check-ups by the physician, in the form of an endoscopy with the removal of a tissue sample to be examined (biopsy), are useful, since there is an increased risk of developing stomach cancer in type A gastritis.

If the chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa has been caused by chemical stimuli, i.e. if type C gastritis is present, these should be omitted. As a rule, these are certain pain-inhibiting drugs that should not be taken. If, due to an existing illness, it is necessary to take medication such as Aspirin® permanently, it is recommended to use a stomach protection preparation (such as proton pump inhibitor) to protect the stomach lining.

Drugs used in chronic gastritis are for example acid inhibitors, also called proton pump inhibitors. These include pantoprazole and omeprazole. They ensure that less gastric acid is produced in the stomach.

In order to fight the actual cause of chronic gastritis, however, they alone do not help. In type B gastritis, for example, antibiotics and acid inhibitors are used in combination. They are used to treat colonization with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.

As a rule, this is a triple therapy, i.e. a therapy consisting of 3 drugs. These include the acid inhibitor Pantozol and the antibiotics Clarithromycin and Amoxicillin or Metronidazol. There are no home remedies for the treatment of chronic gastritis.

They can only be used to relieve the symptoms. Occasionally, warm, stomach-friendly teas such as chamomile tea or peppermint tea can help. Soda powder dissolved in warm water and drunk slowly is also said to relieve the symptoms in acute situations. It is assumed that the sodium bicarbonate helps to neutralize the stomach acid somewhat. In the case of gastritis, this often leads to irritation of the already overstrained mucous membrane, which can cause pain and nausea.