Is hyperacid gastritis a serious disease?

Hyperacid gastritis is an inflammation of the gastric mucosa that occurs due to a significant increase in the acidity of gastric juice. The acidity is so high that the secreted gastric juice irritates the stomach wall and pain occurs. This disease has no restrictions regarding age and gender. However, it is extremely rarely diagnosed in children.

• Etiology
• Classification
• Symptoms
• Diagnostics
• Treatment
• Prognosis and prevention

Etiology

Clinicians identify the following most common causes of the development of this pathological process:

• infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori;
• unhealthy diet – excessive consumption of fatty, smoked and fried foods, which has a detrimental effect on the gastric mucosa;
• incorrect daily routine;
• chemical irritation of the gastric mucosa by chemicals;
• taking certain medications (analgesics, NSAIDs, glucocorticosteroids);
• smoking. Nicotine contained in cigarettes stimulates the production of gastric juice;
• stressful situations;
• drinking alcoholic beverages, especially on an empty stomach;
• some endocrine diseases and tumors. For example, a stomach tumor that produces gastrin, which, in turn, promotes hyperproduction of gastric juice.

All of the above reasons can cause disease in an organism that already has immunological disorders.

Symptoms of hyperacid gastritis

One of the symptoms of gastritis may be abdominal pain.

Signs of gastritis may not appear immediately, so to make an accurate diagnosis it is necessary to undergo an examination. Hyperacid gastritis is often accompanied by inflammation of the duodenal mucosa.

This phenomenon is commonly called gastroduodenitis. The symptoms of gastritis can easily be confused with an ulcer. Only a gastroenterologist can distinguish between these diseases. Main features:

1. Abdominal pain. Gastritis pain occurs in most cases, but not always. Often the pain is periodic. For example, the stomach may hurt when there is no food. If a person is hungry, the acid begins to eat away at the walls more, which causes pain. Pain also occurs 1-2 hours after eating. The pain can be quite severe or aching. When following a diet, the pain subsides or disappears altogether.
2. Severe heartburn. If acidity is disturbed and the walls of the stomach and duodenum are inflamed, gastric juice can enter the esophagus, causing a burning sensation. Heartburn can be painful after spicy foods, smoked, fried, sour, marinades, coffee. Constant heartburn and severe pain indicate that an ulcerative process has already begun; it is necessary to urgently begin treatment.
3. Heaviness in the stomach. Even with small portions of food, a person suffering from gastritis feels heaviness and overeating. These sensations may last for several hours.
4. Plaque on the tongue. Impaired metabolism leads to the formation of a yellowish coating on the tongue. The tongue itself becomes crimson.
5. Nausea and vomiting. These symptoms do not always accompany hyperacid gastritis, but nausea can periodically occur on an empty stomach or immediately after eating. Regular vomiting is an alarming sign and requires professional help.
6. Bloating. Gastritis is almost always accompanied by increased gas formation, which can be painful at times.
7. Stool disorders. Violations can occur in both directions - both diarrhea and constipation. They are often observed at the slightest deviation from the diet. With the hyperacid form of the disease, a tendency to constipation is more often noticed.
8. Anxiety, irritability. Oddly enough, these symptoms are not only present in people whose gastritis was initially caused by stress. This may be due to the presence of constant discomfort in the stomach, pain, discomfort, and the inability to eat usual foods.

Symptoms

The symptoms of hyperacid gastritis are similar to the clinical picture of other forms of gastritis. The following signs of the development of this inflammatory process can be identified:

• pain syndrome. The pain is quite strong, burning, constant and localized in the upper half of the abdomen, intensifying after eating;
• heartburn (burning sensation behind the breastbone);
• belching that has a sour taste;
• nausea, vomiting;
• unstable stool;
• bloating, feeling of being overly full.

In addition to all of the above, upon examination, a tongue coated with a yellowish coating may attract attention.

Symptoms of hyperacid gastritis

At the first manifestations of the clinical picture, you should immediately seek medical help. If the disease is diagnosed in a timely manner, serious complications can be avoided.

Treatment of hyperacid gastritis

Novo - Passit - a remedy for gastritis.

Treatment is prescribed by a gastroenterologist after a thorough examination and diagnosis. Taking medications without a doctor's prescription is not recommended; it can only make the situation worse. Gastritis should be treated based on the causes of its occurrence.

If the cause is Helicobacter pylori, antibiotics, antimicrobial and antisecretory drugs must be used. Most likely, after such a course of treatment, dysbacteriosis will also have to be treated.

Treatment of hyperacid gastritis should be comprehensive. Be sure to use drugs during treatment that reduce the acidity of gastric juice and protect the walls of the stomach from its aggressive effects. Such drugs include Almagel, Phosphalugel, Gasterin.

After starting to take the drug, the pain subsides and the symptoms become less pronounced. These medications form a thin protective film on the walls of the stomach, which protects them from gastric juice and allows them to recover. They not only relieve pain, but also relieve heartburn. Since stress often accompanies gastritis, doctors recommend taking sedatives, such as:

• Afobazole, Persen, Tenoten, Novo-passit.
• In cases of pronounced pain, painkillers and antispasmodics are prescribed, for example, No-Shpa, Drotaverine, Bral, Spazmalgon.

Gastritis requires mandatory adherence to a diet and daily routine. The patient should get enough rest, eat properly and on time. Exercising and walking will also contribute to recovery.

Even after completing the course of treatment, the patient is not recommended to break his diet; gastritis is characterized by relapses. When you return to your usual lifestyle, snacking and smoking, you should expect a new period of exacerbation of the disease. It should be remembered that medications are prescribed and discontinued by a doctor.

It is impossible to take medications for a long time and uncontrolled. They drink in courses. Often, patients continue to take medications that reduce gastric acidity after completion of treatment in order to protect themselves and relieve pain. But these drugs are not safe, they can lead to another form of gastritis, atrophic, when the acidity is reduced too much, so that food is difficult to digest.

Diagnostics

First of all, a physical examination of the patient is performed. To accurately diagnose hyperacid gastritis, the following laboratory and instrumental research methods are used:

• clinical blood test;
• clinical urine analysis;
• serum amylase;
• tests for the detection of Helicobacter (urease breath test, stool examination using PCR, serological determination of antibodies to the bacterium in the blood);
• feces for occult blood (to exclude the presence of bleeding ulcerative defects);
• if gastrinoma (a tumor that produces gastrin) is suspected, a test is prescribed to determine the level of gastrin in the blood;
• FEGDS;
• To determine the pH of gastric juice, intragastric pH-metry is used.

Based on the examination, the diagnosis of hyperacid gastritis is established or excluded and the correct treatment is prescribed.

What else could indicate illness?

Helicobacter pylori as a cause of hyperacid gastritis

The gastroenterologist pays attention to symptoms such as:

• whitish or grayish coating on the tongue, and the tongue itself may be bright red;
• irritability and anxiety;
• nausea or vomiting after eating, but the same appetite;
• increased sweating;
• muscle spasms;
• constipation

At an appointment with a gastroenterologist, you should tell about all the symptoms so that the attending physician has the whole puzzle of the disease. After which the doctor will prescribe a urine and blood test and give a referral for intubation to determine the acidity of the gastric juice. This procedure is not pleasant, but it will allow you to determine the stage of the disease.

If the patient complains of severe pain in the stomach and frequent, prolonged heartburn, which indicates the occurrence of an ulcerative process, then the doctor will definitely prescribe fibrogastroscopy of the stomach (FGS). During the procedure, the gastroenterologist will immediately assess the condition and degree of damage to the mucous membrane, so the endoscope is inserted through the mouth directly into the stomach.

Symptoms such as increased anxiety and suspiciousness are present in 95% of patients. Scientists have put forward a theory that acidity increases during stress. If the cause of the disease is stress, there is only one treatment - sedatives.

Treatment

Treatment of hyperacid gastritis can only be prescribed by the attending physician, taking into account clinical tests, general history and the patient’s condition. In addition to drug therapy, a diet is required.

A diet for gastritis with high acidity implies the following:

• food is taken in small portions, but often. Fasting is not allowed. All food should have a semi-liquid or puree consistency. You can't eat anything hot, everything must be warm. The meat must first be ground in a blender or passed through a meat grinder. Pieces of food should not enter the stomach whole;
• Fatty and fried foods, smoked foods, and spicy foods are excluded. Coffee, strong tea, and alcohol are prohibited. Broths cooked with bones are not recommended.

The patient's diet should be based on the following recommendations:

• You need to include soups with water and milk in your diet. All food should be steamed or baked in the oven. Baked or stewed vegetables are recommended. An excellent option would be baked pumpkin. From drinks you can drink weakly brewed tea, fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes;
• Fermented milk products are required. It is better to drink a glass of kefir at night;
• Instead of sweets, it is rational to eat dried fruits;
• chamomile and mint teas.

Hyperacid gastritis involves drug treatment:

• proton pump inhibitors. They 100% block the production of hydrochloric acid by the lining cells of the stomach, which means they reduce irritation of the mucous membrane;
• antacids - neutralize free gastric acid;
• antispasmodics;
• enzymes.

For hypoacid gastritis, the following foods are prohibited:

• fresh bread, rich pastries (“heavy” food for the stomach, makes chemical and mechanical processing difficult);
• fatty meat, meat with fascia (films), canned food, smoked meats (inadequate mechanical processing of food, excess release of hydrochloric acid);
• fatty and salty fish;
• vegetables and fruits with coarse fiber (white cabbage, turnips, radishes, cucumbers, bell peppers); mushrooms;
• berries with grains or thick skin (raspberries, strawberries, red currants, gooseberries, figs);
• sharp and salty cheeses, milk;
• pork, beef, lamb lard and fat (not digestible due to low production of hydrochloric acid, difficult to digest foods);
• spices and spices (irritate the gastric mucosa), as well as chocolate;
• grape juice, alcohol, carbonated drinks.

Prognosis and prevention

With timely treatment, when the inflammation has not yet caused much harm to the gastric mucosa, the prognosis is quite favorable. If the case is neglected, complications such as:

• atrophy of the mucous membrane;
• formation of stomach ulcers;
• transition of inflammation to the duodenum with the development of duodenitis and bulbitis (inflammation of the duodenal bulb);
• adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

Prevention of this disease is not specific and includes monitoring your diet, lifestyle and timely consultation with a doctor in case of any complaints.

What is the reason for the development of hyperacid gastritis?

The fact that even young people and teenagers suffer from hyperacid gastritis is not surprising. After all, this disease in itself is a violation of the acid balance of gastric secretions caused by malnutrition. Eating on the go, long breaks between meals, unbalanced diet, abuse of strong coffee, smoking, fast food - all this can, and most often does, cause the development of high acidity of gastric juice. In addition, stressful situations in which most of our lives and the lives of our children pass also have a negative impact on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

According to some reports, another noticeable and frequent cause of the development of gastritis with high acidity is one of the types of bacteria that can survive in such an acidic environment as the human stomach. This bacterium is called Helicobacter pylori. Getting inside the human stomach, in the process of its vital activity it destroys the mucous membrane, which causes gastritis, or even an ulcer.

The video will explain a little about the reasons why gastritis can develop.

With hyperacid gastritis, the gastric mucosa becomes inflamed, pain appears, especially after eating, heartburn, belching, and heaviness in the abdomen. All this indicates serious health problems that require prompt consultation with a doctor for examination and selection of treatment.