Causes and symptoms of atrophic gastritis

Atrophic gastritis is a fairly common disease, which is most often diagnosed in adulthood. This disease is accompanied by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, which gradually leads to its thinning and atrophy. It is important to know what are the symptoms of atrophic gastritis. The sooner the treatment is started, the less chance of irreversible changes in the structure of the stomach wall.

Atrophic gastritis and its causes

In fact, this pathology can develop for various reasons. Therefore, before considering the main symptoms of atrophic gastritis, it is worthwhile to learn more about its causes.

Inflammatory process can occur against a background of various diseases of the digestive system. Some infectious diseases can lead to the same result. There is also a hereditary predisposition.

As for exogenous factors, this group includes incorrect nutrition, long-term and uncontrolled intake of certain medicines, as well as chronic poisoning, in particular ethyl alcohol (alcoholism).

The main symptoms of atrophic gastritis

It should be noted immediately that atrophy of the mucous membrane leads not only to digestion disorders, but also affects the functional activity, secretion of gastric juice. And, as a result, it disrupts the work of almost the whole organism. This can explain the main symptoms of atrophic gastritis:

1. For example, after each meal a sick person, as a rule, feels heaviness and stomach overflow.
2. Exacerbation of atrophic gastritis is often accompanied by belches with an unpleasant aftertaste and quite severe heartburn after eating. At the same time, pain and burning in the epigastric region are absent in contrast to other forms of this disease.
3. As a result of disturbances in digestive processes, a person loses his appetite, and his weight drops sharply.
4. There are also problems with defecation: diarrhea is replaced by constipation and vice versa.
5. In some cases, after eating, patients complain of weakness in the body, dizziness and excessive sweating.
6. The main symptoms include rumbling in the abdomen.

It is worth noting that in the absence of treatment, the consequences can be sad. After all, as a result of digestive disorders, the body does not receive enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Quite often atrophic gastritis leads to the development of avitaminosis, anemia, etc.

Atrophic gastritis and treatment methods

If you have such problems with the digestive system, you should immediately consult a doctor. The diagnosis of "atrophic gastritis" can be made only after endoscopic examination, in which it is easy to notice the thinning of the gastric mucosa. Treatment in this case must necessarily be comprehensive. For a start, the doctor prescribes medications that will help to eliminate the main symptoms of the disease, such as heartburn pills, drugs that stimulate the processes of peristalsis. But the restoration of the gastric mucosa is a long process. Therapy in this case includes the right diet (excluding from the diet of sharp, fried, spicy and salty foods, alcoholic beverages), an active lifestyle (outdoor recreation, therapeutic gymnastics), as well as sanatorium treatment. In the absence of medical care and failure to comply with all the doctor's recommendations, atrophic gastritis can lead to stomach cancer.