Gastritis: is it possible to eat dry food and not get sick

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Not all stomach pain is gastritis.

Gastritis is a very broad concept, which translated from medical means simply "inflammation of the gastric mucosa." This very inflammation can be caused by various reasons that require different treatment.

Where does gastritis come from?

There are quite a few reasons why the stomach lining can become inflamed:

1. Acute intestinal infection. When we catch some kind of infection, the same rotavirus naturally suffers from the gastrointestinal tract, including the stomach. And the mucous membrane on its walls is likely to become inflamed.
2. Poisoning. The story is the same as with acute infection. If harmful substances have entered the body, from which the digestive tract is trying to get rid of, then everything will become inflamed: both the stomach and the intestines.
3. Taking some medications. Quite often, the condition of the stomach wall is affected by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which we often use as pain relievers.
4. Bile entering the stomach.
5. Age. With age, the risk of many diseases increases, including gastritis.
6. Autoimmune diseases in which the immune system attacks the body's own cells.
7. Helicobacter pylori bacteria. It most commonly causes chronic gastritis. According to some reports, more than 50% of the world's population is infected with it. Many are carriers of the bacteria and do not even know about it. How to stop its spread is also unclear. So we can only find out about it in time and receive treatment.

Additional risk factors are smoking, alcohol consumption, stress.

What are the symptoms of gastritis

Usually, gastritis does not have specific symptoms that help determine exactly what it is, and not some other gastrointestinal disease. In general, gastritis can proceed without manifestations.

The main symptom of gastritis is discomfort in the upper abdomen. Other symptoms of gastritis:

1. Nausea.
2. Vomit.
3. Loss of appetite.
4. Belching.
5. Bloating.
6. Unpleasant bloating after eating.

If the stomach lining is severely damaged, severe pain may be added to the symptoms, as in a stomach ulcer.

The main problem with all these symptoms is that they say absolutely nothing about what is happening to you. These are common problems for almost any gastrointestinal ailment, from functional dyspepsia (indigestion) to irritable bowel syndrome.

Therefore, to say: "Yes, I have gastritis" if you feel bad every time you eat a burger is wrong. It is better to correct your lifestyle, and only then check whether it is worth being treated and from what exactly.

When to see a doctor

1. When symptoms persist for more than a week.
2. When symptoms appeared after you began to drink prescribed medications (they need to be changed or treatment adjusted).
3. When you notice blood in your vomit or stool. These are signs of internal bleeding.

How to understand that this is gastritis

To confirm the diagnosis, you need to do several tests or examinations that will show what is happening with the stomach.

1. Stool analysis for H. pylori or occult blood.
2. Breath test for H. pylori. To do this, you will need to drink a glass of special pure liquid without taste, and then exhale into a special collection bag.
3. Endoscopy. This is a procedure during which you have to swallow a camera. Usually, in this case, not only the stomach is examined from the inside, but also a biopsy is taken - a piece of tissue is pinched off to check it under a microscope. It is ineffective, unpleasant and unnecessary to simply examine the stomach without obtaining samples.
4. X-ray examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Before this, the patient takes a contrast agent (barium), so that later, from the images, it is possible to determine the foci of the disease and possible ulcers.

What is gastritis

In general, there is still no single classification of gastritis that would suit both patients and doctors, but the following types can be conventionally distinguished:

Acute gastritis

Such gastritis develops suddenly and for various reasons. As a rule, it occurs with infection or poisoning. May cover the entire stomach or only part of it. With it, it is not necessary to carry out additional examinations and do endoscopy.

Chronic gastritis

Chronic gastritis means that there is some reason why the inflammation does not go away for a long time. Its main causes are H. pylori bacteria, frequent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, bile reflux, and autoimmune processes. Chronic gastritis can be prolonged and lead to ulcers.

Atrophic gastritis

Atrophic gastritis is a disease in which, roughly speaking, cells in the stomach are replaced by cells in the intestines. It is to atrophy that chronic gastritis caused by bacteria or autoimmune processes leads.

Atrophic gastritis increases the risk of cancer.

How to treat gastritis

When treating gastritis, the main task is to let the stomach wall calm down and heal, that is, not to irritate it. For this, drugs are used that somehow reduce the amount of acid produced in the stomach, or protect against it:

1. Antacids - a group of drugs that "envelop" the walls of the stomach and reduce the effect of acid.
2. H2-histamine receptor blockers. They decrease the production of stomach acid.
3. Proton pump inhibitors. They are also designed to reduce the production of stomach acid.

But if the main cause of gastritis is bacteria, then antibiotics that destroy H. pylori should be treated. They are prescribed by a doctor, often in conjunction with the above drugs. By the way, it is not always necessary to use antibiotics if bacteria are found. This question should be decided only by a doctor, since treatment can provoke side effects and in some cases be ineffective.

Another important factor in treating gastritis is stress reduction. Therefore, learn to relax, because we know that excessive excitement affects digestion.

What diet is needed for gastritis

There are no special products that will help with gastritis. It is enough to eat food that will irritate the stomach less. This means that spices, fried, spicy, smoked, salty and carbonated are prohibited.

Eat often, in small portions, to help your stomach digest food more easily.

How not to get sick with gastritis

The words of grandmothers that sandwiches and other dry food lead to gastritis is an old myth. Still, gastritis is caused by completely different reasons. And the stress of being forced to eat soup may be more important to the development of gastritis than not eating liquid foods.

In order not to get sick with gastritis, you must first try to protect yourself from bacteria:

1. Drink clean water.
2. Wash your hands before eating.
3. Eat proven, clean food.
4. No smoking.
5. Drink less alcohol.
6. Do not be nervous.

But the researchers did not find a connection between the diet and the frequency of meals, the obligatory breakfast or soup for lunch.