Stomach diseases: causes, symptoms and treatment

Stomach cancer is a fairly serious and severe oncological disease. This kind of disease is most often found in men after 45 years of age, but gender does not play a major role in the formation of cancer.

More significant reasons that can affect the formation of a neoplasm are age, diet, existing stomach ailments and immediate lifestyle.

Malignant neoplasms in women have some features that you need to know. In principle, there are no significant differences in the causes of cancer formation in men and women.

Factors in the formation of stomach cancer in women

Causes of the development of stomach cancer in women
Since there are ailments that can contribute to the formation of cancer in women.

The list of such ailments includes:

• Prolonged atrophic gastritis. Regarding statistical data, 90% of patients diagnosed with stomach cancer had chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). This type of disease is characterized by injury to the epithelium on the membranes of the organ, failure of the restoration of the mucosa, and its atrophy. A fairly common cause of the disease is the Helicobacter bacterium. Atrophic gastritis can be with or without focal mucosal hyperplasia. Patients who have an illness with focal hyperplasia require special control, since this form of the disease often turns into a malignant neoplasm.
• Polyposis and polyps. Polyps are formations of a spherical configuration. The following diseases are recognized: polyposis, single and multiple polyps. Polyposis is characterized by the countless creation of polyps that cannot be counted. Polyps, as a rule, are formed from the mucous membrane and have a variety of dimensions. There are two types of such neoplasms: neoplastic and non-neoplastic. Low-quality formations are formed directly from neoplastic polyps much more often. As a rule, the growth does not form from the polyp, but develops directly around it, on the injured mucosal epithelium. Polyps do not have any noticeable signs. Consequently, detection of their existence occurs during treatment or diagnosis of another ailment.
• Stomach ulcer. Peptic ulcers can also develop into cancer. The reasons for this transformation are not thoroughly understood. But relative to the assumptions of experts, the formation of cancer cells occurs due to prolonged trauma to the mucosa. That is, the cells stop recovering, therefore, atypical cells are formed at their point, which turn into a cancerous tumor.

Other factors in the development of stomach cancer

Diet that causes stomach cancer
There are other factors that can influence the development of stomach cancer. These include:

• Smoking. The direct effect of carcinogens present in tobacco smoke has a detrimental effect on the entire body. There is an assumption that this is the reason for the development of cancer in men more often than in women. But in recent years, the percentage of female smokers has increased significantly. Consequently, there is a possibility that after some time this line between man and woman will be eliminated.
• Poor quality products. The stomach is an organ that processes all foods consumed by humans and sometimes they are not of high quality. The largest amount of nitrates and nitrites is found in vegetables and fruits, which are fed with a variety of fertilizers. And all these chemicals accumulate in products, therefore, they settle in the stomachs. Greasy and fried foods are also not the standard of healthy food, since they contain a huge number of carcinogens that are toxic.
• Other risk factors include a genetic link.

Causes of peptic ulcer

The main and main cause of the development of stomach ulcers is considered to be Helicobacter pylori infection. The acid-fast bacterium Helicobacter can destroy the mucous membranes of the stomach, and the duodenum is also affected.

The transmission of the bacterium to each other can occur through household contact with an infected person (through saliva during a kiss, through shared utensils and hygiene items). Men are more prone to the disease than women.

Other common causes of ulcers include:

• Poor nutrition
• Constant stress and anxiety, shock
• Hereditary predisposition
• Chronic diseases of the digestive system
• Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages
• Taking certain groups of medications
• Development of the disease against the background of hepatitis, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, tuberculosis, Crohn's disease
• First blood group

Coffee, cocoa, water with gases, too cold or too hot food, baked goods - all this can be classified as dangerous factors that can provoke peptic ulcers. People who smoke also belong to the risk group.

PUD is a polyetiological disease. This means that the disease, as a rule, does not have a single root cause; it is affected by a combination of several unfavorable factors.

One of the factors causing peptic ulcer disease was discovered relatively recently. It is an opportunistic microorganism - the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which lives on the gastric mucosa. The bacterium can be easily transmitted from one person to another - through kissing, through shared cutlery and unwashed dishes.

The source from which the bacterium receives energy is certain chemical reactions that occur in the stomach. For reasons that have not yet been fully elucidated, the bacterium at a certain point begins to behave aggressively, forms colonies on the gastric mucosa, changes the composition of gastric juice and ultimately destroys the tissue of the mucous membrane, usually in a small area.

Therefore, other factors leading to the disease cannot be discounted:

• severe stress;
• depression;
• abuse of medications or taking them in large quantities (glucocorticosteroids, antacids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, cytostatics, antihypertensive drugs);
• immunodeficiency states (AIDS, taking immunosuppressants);
• poor diet or eating habits (eating food that is too cold or hot, eating irregularly);
• hereditary factors;
• severe somatic diseases (tuberculosis, hepatitis, diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, Crohn's disease);
• stomach injuries;
• effects of other organs on the stomach;
• massive burns and frostbite, shock;
• chronic alcoholism;
• abuse of coffee and other caffeinated drinks;
• smoking;
• other stomach diseases (gastritis, duodenal-gastric reflux).

People with blood type O have a 40% higher risk of developing stomach ulcers than others. The risk of developing the disease as a result of taking anti-inflammatory drugs increases significantly after age 65. It is possible that ulcers may also occur as a result of indigestible foreign bodies entering the stomach.

Nonspecific and specific signs of cancer

The first symptoms of stomach cancer
Nonspecific symptoms indicate the presence of malignant tumors in the patient’s body. As a rule, this category includes symptoms that alone are powerless to accurately indicate the nature of the disease. But taken together they will create a “small sign syndrome” that requires scrupulous research and control.

Stomach cancer at the initial stage does not have a directly manifested clinical picture. Patients rarely focus attention on individual digestive disruptions or minor pain, especially if there are other ailments of the digestive organs.

Nonspecific signs of stomach cancer in women include:

• In a variety of digestive disorders.
• Modification of taste.
• Weight loss.
• Painful sensations.

The initial formation of cancer practically does not appear. Sometimes the neoplasm causes disorganization of food digestion. In the presence of an oncological disease of the stomach, the symptoms of which experts call “small sign syndrome.”

These types of signs may appear:

• Dyspepsia, which is accompanied by heavy feelings in the abdomen, a feeling of overeating, when eating the natural amount of food.
• Heartburn.
• Vomiting.
• Lethargy.
• Lethargy.

Causes of stomach pathologies

Snacking on the go can cause stomach problems.
There are many reasons that provoke stomach diseases in humans. Main culprits:

• food on the go;
• consumption of poor quality products;
• binge eating;
• inappropriate temperature of food and drinks (hot or cold);
• stressful situations;
• psychological anxiety;
• psychotrauma;
• diseases of internal organs;
• acute infectious processes;
• autoimmune processes;
• alcohol;
• nicotine.

Symptoms of endophytic cancer

Main sections of the human stomach
With endophytic cancer, gastric rigidity occurs. This manifestation causes the stomach to lose its natural ability to stretch. Consequently, even a small amount of food can arouse a feeling of satiation of hunger and malaise. Dysphagia is characteristic of cancer of the frontal part of the stomach. The likelihood of discomfort when eating food.

In case of cancer of the pyloric part of the stomach, the likelihood of direct disruption of the output from the stomach to the small intestine is revealed. At times, such processes can manifest themselves as nausea and vomiting. Modification of the sense of taste - this expression of illness is directly related to a violation of the digestive process. As a result, the patient significantly loses weight, which provokes loss of strength, insomnia, decreased ability to work and excessive fatigue.

It's no secret that women sense all the smells and tastes of products more sophisticatedly. It is for this reason that women who have cancer often have an aversion to food consisting of meat. The presence of “minor signs” does not yet indicate that cancer exists. But oncology can still be detected, and this possibility should not be discarded.

Important! For any negative disorders of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and intestines, you should seek advice!

Often, the first signs of stomach cancer manifest themselves in painful feelings that resonate in the back, which are of an enveloping nature and unpleasant sensations in the epigastric region. But such symptoms are typical for ulcers during the period of aggravation, and women who have this kind of illness try to be treated with already known drugs in order to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms. The seriousness of this condition lies in the fact that women are more likely to take painkillers than men. Consequently, taking a huge number of painkillers leads to blurring the true picture of the disease. And this threatens that stomach cancer continues to develop, but painlessly.

List

The main list of stomach diseases includes:

1. Illnesses after surgery;
2. Chronic duodenitis;
3. Gastritis;
4. Oncology of the digestive system;
5. Ulcer;
6. Benign tumors;
7. Pneumatosis;
8. Gastric hypersecretion;
9. Gastroptosis.

Diseases after surgery

This term refers to diseases that appear after surgery. This is a consequence of pathophysiological and pathomorphological changes that occur in the stomach and throughout the body.

According to statistics, 30% of patients develop various pathological signs after surgery. According to ICD-10, disease coding is K91.1.

Complications after surgery appear in the first day or even hours. The patient will be bothered by vomiting and nausea. Frequent belching occurs. X-rays reveal excessive gastric contents due to surgical trauma, nerves, and damage.

In some cases, symptoms appear after a couple of days. In most situations, such diseases of the stomach are associated with disruption of the surgical process. For example, with bad seams. Symptoms of such complications include the formation of acute pain in the abdominal area, the occurrence of fever or intoxication. Bleeding occurs quite less frequently after surgery.

Chronic duodenitis

In this embodiment, the pathological course affects the stomach and duodenum. Often the disease develops in childhood due to a weakened hormonal system or incorrect position of the organ. However, the danger of developing a chronic course of the disease remains for all people.

The primary form appears with constant violation of the correct diet. Against the background of existing inflammation, a secondary type develops. Duodenostasis (lack of intestinal mobility due to poor peristalsis or obstruction) plays a significant role in this.

During periods of exacerbation, regular pain in the stomach occurs, worsening during fasting or several hours after eating. A person may not sleep at night due to discomfort. The disease is accompanied by weakness, headaches, irritability, and increased heart rate. The disease according to ICD-10 has code K29.8.

Gastritis

Gastritis is divided into 2 types: acute and chronic.

• Acute gastritis

This is an inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which appeared for the first time in the patient. It manifests itself in the form of belching, vomiting, nausea, intestinal upset, and excessive pain. This disease is the most common form in gastroenterology. According to statistics, every second person has gastritis.

In the acute form, during gastroscopy thickenings, swelling of the mucous membrane and plethora are detected. In some situations, small cell hemorrhages are detected on the surface. With numerous erosions we are talking about acute erosive gastritis.

In the fibrous form, necrotic changes are observed in the mucous membrane. Taking into account the severity and damage, gastritis is divided into superficial and deep. The first signs, as a rule, are detected 6-12 hours after the influence of etiological conditions. ICD-10 code – K29.1.

• Chronic gastritis

The disease, as in acute cases, is characterized by an inflammatory process in the mucous membrane. In a chronic course, the disease is recurrent in nature. As a result, degeneration of the membrane occurs, structures change pathologically, and atrophy of cellular elements occurs. The glands that are located in the submucosa cease their activity and are replaced by other matter.

Chronic gastritis is divided into several types:

1. Type A is the primary autoimmune form that affects the gastric fundus.
2. Type B is a form of bacterial origin.
3. Type C – reflux gastritis.

The chronic form of gastritis has ICD-10 code K29.3 - K29.5.

Oncology of the digestive system

This is a malignant tumor that originates from mucosal tissue. It can occur in any part of the gastric region and spread to other organs. The disease has a high mortality rate. Cancer is often found in men. Metastases are detected in 80-90% of cases.

Gastric oncology has some characteristic features:

• It is developing rapidly.
• It grows through healthy matter and destroys it in the process.
• Releases toxic substances that poison the entire body.

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Among the causes of the disease are poisoning with chemical components, the influence of ionizing radiation, nicotine, and immunodeficiency states. Certain other precancerous diseases are also detected, for example, erosions, peptic ulcers, polyps and GERD. Gastric oncology according to ICD-10 has code C16.

Patients complain of prolonged heartburn and nausea, rapid loss of body weight with a normal diet, weakness, and a feeling of dissatisfaction after eating.

Ulcer

This is a recurrent disease, the main characteristic feature of which is the destruction of areas of the mucous membrane in contact with active gastric juice. There are various forms of peptic ulcers that appear under the influence of various negative conditions. These include symptomatic and gastroduodenal erosions.

In Western Europe and Japan, 2-3% of adults suffer from this disease. Males are often affected. Residents of cities are more susceptible to progression of the disease than rural residents.

The main condition for infection is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. They are detected in 80% of sick patients. The second factor is the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The key role is played by the imbalance between the protective function of the shell and the influence of negative aggressive conditions. The ICD-10 code is K25.

Acute peptic ulcer disease occurs when the pathological process spreads into the mucous membrane. The formations are often single and round in shape. In appearance, the ulcerative edges can be indistinguishable from surrounding materials.

Benign tumors

This is a polymorphic category of formations that can affect any layers of the stomach. Key symptoms include weakness, weight loss, gastrointestinal discomfort and loss of appetite. Anemia, depression and loss of interest in life can be added to this list. The pain has a pulling or aching appearance and appears immediately after eating.

Tumors differ in the degree of differentiation and occurrence. Among all situations, benign forms can occur in 4% of cases. The majority of such diseases relate to polyps.

Predisposing conditions include:

• Chronic gastritis;
• Infection with a microorganism leading to increased production of hydrochloric acid;
• Hereditary predisposition;
• Adverse habits;
• Decreased appetite.

The greatest risk of benign tumors is transformation into cancer or tumor perforation. The latter is characterized by the appearance of a hole in the gastric wall and the formation of peritonitis. In some cases, stenosis and bleeding occur.

Pneumatosis

Pneumatosis is a pathological condition when cysts are formed in the thickness of the stomach wall, the contents of which are air or gas. As the disease progresses, they are able to move into the lymph nodes and abdominal cavity.

The primary form is formed against the background of functional disorders. For this reason, it is often detected in patients with neurasthenia and hysteria. Pneumatosis in some situations is considered a concomitant disease with pathologies of the human autonomic nervous system. The main symptom is belching, which haunts the patient throughout the day.

Gastric hypersecretion

Secretory function is disrupted when certain cells are abnormally activated. This leads to an increase in the production of hydrochloric acid or all gastric juice. The disorder appears due to pathology of regulatory mechanisms.

The process is associated with functional or organic lesions of the gastric tract. In some cases, hypersecretion appears against the background of functional pathologies, gastritis or organic lesions of the stomach. A significant increase in secretion is possible with acute expansion of the organ and under the influence of its cooling.

Hypersecretion leads to rapid depletion of the gastric glands. The process of protein digestion is disrupted. Increased secretion can take 3 forms:

1. Gastrosucorrhoea. A functional disorder that is caused by pathologies of the mechanisms of higher nervous regulation.
2. Paroxysmal. This is a periodically appearing form that occurs reflexively. It is often found in patients with ulcers and certain other central nervous system disorders.
3. Nutritional. The amount of gastric juice increases regardless of the type of irritant. Similar signs can occur in individuals with a weak cerebral cortex.

Gastroptosis

A characteristic symptom of this disease is prolapse of the stomach. This is accompanied by hypotension and lengthening. This difficulty can be congenital or acquired. In early stages of the disease, no symptoms usually appear. At a later stage, pain is detected after eating, during physical activity, or while running.

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Gastroptosis can often be accompanied by prolapse of other organizations in the body. The disease is quite rare and can be found more often in young females. An increased incidence rate in this category is associated with adherence to dietary nutrition, childbirth, and excessive thinness. In males, this disease is associated with improper distribution of loads.

Common specific symptoms of stomach ulcers

Symptoms of gastric ulcer
Many sources that describe gastric cancer, namely specific symptoms, indicate that it is almost impossible to recognize the disease before metastases occur. These symptoms include:

1. Vomit. At this stage, the expansion of cancer to other organs is a relatively common symptom. In the last stages of cancer, vomiting can be lingering. Initially, such a symptom will help bring obvious relief. But as the disease progresses, vomiting may begin even after drinking.
2. Blood in the feces can also indicate the presence of a tumor and its immediate progression.

The most dangerous are “silent” tumors, which, as a rule, are localized in the area of ​​the front and back lining of the stomach, which are asymptomatic for a long period. At the stage of cancer expansion, malaise and swelling may occur. Sometimes women develop prolonged depression, which patients try to cure with therapeutic agents, which contributes to the worsening of the condition.

Important! It should be remembered that any signs of illness that last mostly more than a week and do not go away, but on the contrary increase, therefore, it is time to seek advice from a specialist.

In most cases, detection of stomach cancer at an early stage of development occurs more often in women than in men.

Symptoms of cancer of the stomach and intestines

Symptoms of stomach cancer and its treatment
Symptoms of stomach and intestinal cancer at the beginning of development are minor, therefore, they are quite difficult to determine. The main features include:

• Pain in the navel area.
• Nausea, vomiting, dizziness.
• Feeling of heaviness after eating food.
• Swallowing processes are difficult.
• Bleeding is likely to occur as cancer cells begin to destroy blood vessels.
• Apathetic state, lethargy, fatigue.

Signs of bowel cancer may have a hidden course. Regarding the development of oncology, the signs of the disease also change, which gradually manifest themselves in the form of obstruction and colitis. The most important sign of the disease is the presence of blood in the stool and vomit.

Harsh Turn: Complications

PUD is dangerous not in itself and not because of the digestive disorders that it causes, but because of its complications. Complications can be fatal in many cases. The most dangerous complications include:

• massive bleeding,
• perforation of the ulcer,
• malignancy (transformation of an ulcer into a malignant tumor).

Massive bleeding is one of the main factors responsible for the death of people suffering from the disease. They occur in 20% of patients with peptic ulcer. When bleeding, patients experience signs of anemia, vomiting blood, and black stools. The drop in blood pressure caused by exsanguination can lead to collapse, shock and death. Therefore, if there are signs of internal bleeding, the patient must be immediately taken to the hospital.

Another dangerous complication is wall destruction. A relatively successful option in this case may be when some other organ appears behind the wall of the stomach. Most often this is the pancreas. Hydrochloric acid will begin to corrode this organ, resulting in acute pancreatitis.

Also, when ulcerative formations are perforated, the intestines, gallbladder, lesser omentum, and liver may be affected

However, it often happens that the contents of the stomach are simply poured into the peritoneum and a person develops acute peritonitis, accompanied by severe pain and fever. The reason for this development of events may be physical stress or alcohol consumption. Peritonitis also threatens the patient with death, and without immediate medical attention it is inevitable.

Another dangerous complication is pyloric stenosis. This is the name of the sphincter that separates the stomach from the first section of the small intestine - the duodenum. Pyloric stenosis is always a complication of a pyloric ulcer. Narrowing of the pylorus leads to stagnation of food in the stomach, and ultimately to obstruction of the pyloric canal. Treatment for severe stenosis is always surgical.

Malignant tumors are also dangerous complications. However, a tumor at the site of the ulcer develops less often than is commonly believed - in only 3% of cases. However, the risk of oncological tumors in patients with peptic ulcer is several times increased compared to the rest of the population.

Patients with peptic ulcer require lifelong monitoring. They should be tested for Helicobacter pylori approximately every six months.

A stomach ulcer can cause the following unpleasant and very serious complications:

1. Perforation or perforation. With this complication, the wall of the mucous membrane is depleted and a through hole is formed. Through this opening, the contents of the stomach enter the abdominal cavity. As a result, the patient is diagnosed with peritonitis, which is extremely life-threatening.
2. In approximately 80% of patients, ulcerative bleeding occurs, the intensity of which depends on the location and extent of the lesion.
3. An ulcer that is not cured in time quickly becomes chronic. Patients with chronic ulcers have to undergo a therapeutic course twice a year to stop the next attack of exacerbation.
4. Adhesion of neighboring organs to the stomach. With chronic peptic ulcer disease, the walls of the stomach are gradually destroyed, neighboring organs (for example, the liver) can stick to the stomach and the disease can spread further.

As I said at the beginning of the article, very often people do not pay attention to stomach problems. And if they do, they are afraid of diagnosis. For example, gastroscopy is a rather unpleasant procedure, but without it an accurate diagnosis cannot be made.

How such irresponsibility can result:

1. Bleeding
2. Stenosis of the gastroesophageal sphincter (the opening between the stomach and intestines). In this case, food cannot move from the stomach further into the intestines. And I have to have surgery.
3. Perforation of the wall of the stomach or duodenum. In other words, a hole is formed through which everything we eat enters the abdominal cavity or even into a neighboring organ (pancreas). There it all rots and peritonitis develops. And a person has no more than a day to sound the alarm. And here only emergency surgery can save you.
4. Cancer.

Symptoms and treatment of signet ring cell tumor of the stomach

Signet ring cell malignant tumor of the stomach
The histological configuration of oncology is signet ring cell carcinoma. It is quite difficult to determine a stomach ailment, which is why at the first suspicion and manifestation of symptoms you should immediately visit a specialist, since the disease develops quite quickly and reaches its final stage. The patient may experience a number of symptoms:

• Persistent regurgitation.
• Nausea.
• Sharp weight loss.
• Blood in stool and vomit.
• Pain in the intestines.
• Problems with stool.
• Unpleasant and painful feelings at the time of swallowing.

As for treatment, in this case there is no 100% cure for the disease. The most effective method is surgery.

Basic methods of curing cancer:

1. Surgical intervention. The main problem in performing the operation is the late detection of the disease. It is impossible to perform surgery if metastases have affected other organs and there is no way to remove them. The immediate choice of surgery depends on the location of the neoplasm, its histological and morphological symptoms, and dimensions. Regardless of the choice of surgery, lymph nodes must be eliminated, since they are the first to metastasize.
2. Chemotherapy. This method can be used both for complex treatment and as an independent method of healing. There are several treatment options. Adjuvant chemotherapy is the most important goal of therapy to prevent the recurrence of the disease by eliminating residual cancer cells. Non-adjuvant chemotherapy is usually used before surgery. The essential function of this method is to facilitate the upcoming intervention and reduce the size of the tumor. Palliative chemotherapy is used when surgery cannot be performed. The main goal of the method is to alleviate the torment of the sick person, reduce pain and increase life expectancy. Chemotherapy cannot cure cancer on its own and also has many side effects.

3. 
   Treatment methods for stomach cancer
   Radiation therapy for cancer. The use of chemotherapy is possible both before and after surgery. This method of healing is often used as a separate method of healing. But it should be noted that as an independent method of healing, radiation therapy is ineffective. The main objective of this method of therapy is to significantly reduce the size of the tumor.

Regarding the reviews of specialists, we can conclude that tumors will not appear in a healthy body. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor your health, both women and men who have reached 45 years of age.

Treatment

Pathology therapy is based on eliminating the causes of this condition. Bacterial gastritis, ulcers, and dyspepsia are eliminated by prescribing antibacterial drugs. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori increases the acidity of gastric juice, which leads to the irritating effect of hydrochloric acid on tissues.

It is necessary to begin treatment by organizing a dietary diet. Fried, fatty soups, fried foods, fast food, spicy foods - all this is prohibited. It is allowed to eat boiled, stewed, steamed food, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, cereals, and fish. You need to stop smoking and drinking alcohol.

Medicines used:

• Antisecretory drugs (Omez, Nolpaza);
• Antacids (Maalox, Almagel);
• Means for normalizing motor skills (Trimedat);
• Antispasmodics (Buscopan).

Numerous patients also need enzymes (Pancreatin) and anti-nausea medications (Motilium), as well as probiotics and prebiotics. An integrated approach makes it possible to quickly recover, and a healthy lifestyle helps prevent exacerbations.

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