Gastritis
What is gastritis?
Gastritis is not a single disease, but several different conditions
that all have inflammation of the stomach lining.
What causes gastritis?
Gastritis can be caused by
drinking too much alcohol, prolonged use of
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen, or infection with bacteria such as
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Sometimes gastritis develops after major
surgery, traumatic injury, burns, or severe infections. Certain diseases, such
as pernicious anemia, autoimmune disorders, and chronic bile reflux, can cause
gastritis as well.
What are the symptoms of gastritis?
The most common symptoms are abdominal upset or pain. Other symptoms are:
- belching,
- abdominal bloating,
- nausea, and
vomiting
- or a feeling of fullness or
of burning in the upper abdomen.
Blood in your vomit or black stools may be a
sign of bleeding in the stomach, which may indicate a serious problem requiring
immediate medical attention.
How is gastritis diagnosed?
Gastritis is diagnosed through one or more medical tests:
- Upper gastrointestinal
endoscopy. The doctor eases an endoscope, a thin
tube containing a tiny camera, through your mouth (or occasionally nose) and
down into your stomach to look at the stomach lining. The doctor will check
for inflammation and may remove a tiny sample of tissue for tests. This
procedure to remove a tissue sample is called a biopsy.
- Blood test. The doctor may check your red blood cell count to see
whether you have anemia, which means that you do not have enough red blood
cells. Anemia can be caused by bleeding from the stomach.
- Stool test. This test checks for the presence of
blood in your stool, a
sign of bleeding. Stool test may also be used to detect the presence of H.
pylori in the digestive tract.
Next: What is the treatment for gastritis? »
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Gastritis
Stool Color & Texture Changes (Black, Red, Maroon, Green, Yellow, Gray, Tarry, Sticky) »
What color is normal stool?
Stool
(feces) is most commonly brown in color, and many people become curious or
concerned when the color of their stool changes. Most stool-to-stool changes in
color have little meaning; however, some changes, particularly if the changes
are consistent from stool-to-stool and not present in only one stool, can be
important.
What causes normal stool color?
The color of stool is normally due to the presence of bile, specifically, the
bilirubin in bile. Bilirubin is formed from
hemoglobin after hemoglobin is
released from red blood cells during their destruction, a part of the normal
process of replacing the red blood cells in blood. The released hemoglobin is
modified chemically and removed from the blood by the
liver. In the liver the
chemically changed hemoglobin (called bilirubin) is attached to other chemicals
and secreted from the cells of the liver into bile. Depending on the
conc...
Read the Stool Color & Texture Changes (Black, Red, Maroon, Green, Yellow, Gray, Tarry, Sticky) article »
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