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Gastritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach. Gastritis is a common condition. Gastritis is most frequently caused by an infection of a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which also causes peptic ulcers.
Typical symptoms of gastritis include heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. Gastritis is a treatable condition, but if can lead to dehydration and other complications, such as an increased risk of developing a peptic ulcer, if left untreated. For more details about symptoms and complications, see symptoms of gastritis.
Gastritis can also be caused by a viral infection, fungal infection, or parasite infection. Other causes of gastritis include long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve), which are irritating to the stomach lining. Another cause of gastritis is long-term physical and/or mental stress that results in the production of excessive amounts of stomach acid. Gastritis can also occur after within a few days after a stressful event, such as an illness, surgery or injury, and result in peptic ulcers that can bleed.
Smoking, alcoholism and excessive alcohol use can also cause gastritis. Drinking coffee and acidic beverages can also underlie gastritis, as can a toxic ingestion of certain poisons that are corrosive and can damage the lining of the stomach. Certain diseases, such as Crohn's disease, some autoimmune disorders, and pernicious anemia, can also cause gastritis.
Depending on the cause, gastritis can be short-term and disappear quickly, such as when gastritis occurs after a single episode of alcohol intoxication. Gastritis can also be recurring over a longer period of time, such as when gastritis is due to Crohn's disease.
Diagnosing gastritis and its root cause begins with taking a thorough personal and family medical history, including symptoms, and completing a physical examination.
Diagnostic testing generally includes an endoscopy procedure. In this procedure, a special lighted instrument is inserted through the mouth and throat into the stomach. This instrument, called an endoscope, takes pictures of the stomach and/or sends images to a computer monitor.
A biopsy may also be taken during an endoscopy. A biopsy involves taking a small sample of esophagus or stomach tissue to examine it under a microscope.
A test may also be done to test for a Helicobacter pylori infection, the most common cause of gastritis. A stool sample may be tested to determine if there is blood in the stool, which could indicate that there is a peptic ulcer or a variety of other conditions. Diagnosis may also include a complete blood count, which can help to determine if anemia or an infectious process is present.
A chemistry panel is a blood test that can evaluate if gastritis with excessive vomiting has lead to the complication of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. An urinanalysis can also help to determine dehydration.
A diagnosis of gastritis and its cause can easily be delayed or missed because symptoms of gastritis may be intermittent and for other reasons. For information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of gastritis.
Some cases of gastritis can be prevented with lifestyle changes. Treatment of gastritis involves diagnosing and treating the underlying disease, disorder or condition that is causing it. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of gastritis....more »
A diagnosis of gastritis and its underlying cause may be delayed or missed because in some cases, there are no symptoms. In other cases, the symptoms of gastritis may also not be severe enough or last long enough for a person to seek medical care.
Symptoms of gastritis can also be similar to symptoms of a wide variety of other diseases and conditions. These include indigestion, GERD ...more misdiagnosis »
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Gastritis.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 39 causes of Gastritis
» Review Causes of Gastritis: Causes | Symptom Checker »
Home medical tests possibly related to Gastritis:
Review causes of more specific types of Gastritis:
See full list of 2 types for Gastritis
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Gastritis, as listed in our database. Visit the Symptom Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
See full list of 501 Symptom Checkers for Gastritis
The first step in treating gastritis is prevention. This includes not smoking or drinking alcohol, coffee and acidic beverages to excess. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) should be taken only as directed. Even when taken as directed, some people will develop gastritis with the use of these drugs. Reducing stress may also be ...Gastritis Treatments
Some of the possible treatments listed in sources for treatment of Gastritis may include:
Review further information on Gastritis Treatments.
More Gastritis animations & videos
The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Gastritis as a symptom.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
See full list of 4
medications causing Gastritis
Some of the comorbid or associated medical symptoms for Gastritis may include these symptoms:
See all associated comorbid symptoms for Gastritis
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Gastritis:
Read more about causes and Gastritis deaths.
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal imbalance. The digestive system contains a variety of "good" bacteria...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely to cause some level of diarrhea in patients. The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria, but can also kill the "good" bacteria in the gut. This leads to "...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning). In fact, it's more likely to be an infectious diarrheal illness (i.e. infectious...read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it can, of course,...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of symptoms (see symptoms...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases. Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, irritable bowel...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Gastritis
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Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Gastritis, or dyspepsia, is an inflammation of the stomach lining. Some people have gastritis after drinking too much alcohol, eating too much, eating spicy food, or smoking. Others develop gastritis after prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or infection with bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, or Helicobacter 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. (Source: excerpt from Gastritis: NIDDK)
Gastritis, or dyspepsia, is an inflammation of the stomach lining. Some people have gastritis... (Source: excerpt from Gastritis: NIDDK)
Inflammation of the lining of the stomach; nausea and loss of appetite and discomfort after eating
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Inflammation of the stomach.
- (Source - CRISP)
Inflammation of the lining of the stomach.
- (Source - National Cancer Institute)
The list below shows some of the causes of Gastritis mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 39 causes of Gastritis
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Gastritis. Of the 39 causes of Gastritis that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
See the analysis of the prevalence of 39 causes of Gastritis
The following list of conditions have 'Gastritis' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Gastritis or choose View All.
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This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Gastritis based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Medical Conditions associated with Gastritis:
Inflammatory symptoms (1736 causes), Infection-related symptoms (1293 causes), Stomach symptoms (3217 causes), Abdominal symptoms (5930 causes), Digestive symptoms (5299 causes)
Symptoms related to Gastritis:
Crohn's disease, Eating spicy food, Anemia (926 causes), Peptic ulcer disease, Autoimmune digestive disorders, Escherichia coli infection, Over-eating (44 causes), Food poisoning
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