When it comes to chronic gastritis many people associate a bad stomach, an old stomach disease with chronic gastritis. So what exactly is the definition of chronic gastritis?
Chronic gastritis is literally a chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, but chronic gastritis is a generalized concept, the diagnosis of this disease in the past, according to the judgment of doctors, but also according to gastroscopy, so the diagnosis is more confusing later, with the popularity of gastroscopy doctors reached a consensus emphasizing gastroscopy biopsy as the gold standard for the diagnosis of chronic gastritis.
The problem again is that chronic gastritis can be divided into many kinds according to the current standard, there are chronic superficial gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis, erosive gastritis, bile reflux gastritis, hemorrhagic gastritis, atrophic gastritis with erosion, so many kinds, it is easy to confuse the people, what is the difference?
There are three main types of chronic gastritis
The science is very simple and easy to understand, chronic gastritis can be divided into three main categories: atrophic gastritis, non-atrophic gastritis (superficial gastritis) and special types of gastritis. The current classification is a diagnosis based on gastroscopic observation and biopsy of the inflammation of the gastric mucosal layer.
The various types of gastritis are named as follows
Conditions such as erosion and bleeding in the stomach can be seen with the naked eye to directly through gastroscopy, so gastritis can be classified into types such as erosive gastritis, bile reflux gastritis, and hemorrhagic gastritis, because such gastritis can be seen directly with the naked eye without the need for a microscope. However, some diagnoses, such as whether it is atrophic gastritis or not, require a pathological biopsy to be done and judged under a microscope to know, and then a diagnosis called atrophic gastritis with erosion is finally given.
No direct correlation with symptoms
Common symptoms include vague pain in the upper abdomen, lack of appetite, fullness after meals, acid reflux, and nausea. However, not all patients have symptoms, and the severity of symptoms is often not consistent with the extent of gastric mucosal lesions. Therefore, the severity of self-perceived symptoms should not be used as a substitute for the severity of the disease.
Do I have to have a gastroscopy to diagnose chronic gastritis?
Because of the uncomfortable nature of gastroscopy in the past, many people are psychologically intimidated and wish to have ultrasound or CT instead. The answer is no. Gastritis itself is a lesion confined to the gastric mucosa, and the gastric mucosa itself is only a few millimeters, which cannot be seen by CT or ultrasound, and gastroscopy is a direct observation of the gastric mucosa through the gastric cavity, and a small biopsy can be taken for laboratory testing, so gastroscopy is the most accurate means of diagnosing gastritis. However, in the actual clinical application for various reasons or many people are not willing to do gastroscopy, this part of the people can only rely on the doctor’s empirical treatment, for the condition can not be accurately assessed, belong to the empirical treatment has certain drawbacks.
How to judge whether the disease is serious or not
The severity of the disease is mainly judged by the scope and extent of the lesion, the presence of heterogeneous hyperplasia, etc., which means a combination of endoscopic performance and pathological detection. Obviously, a patient without symptoms but with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (precancerous lesions) detected is more serious than a patient with severe symptoms but no epithelial hyperplasia, so patients with high-risk cancerous factors should take the initiative to review.
Treatment
Treatment mainly starts from removing the causes and relieving symptoms, including quitting smoking and alcohol, avoiding some drugs that hurt the stomach, and eradicating H. pylori.
Treating the cause
Treatment of H. pylori, H. pylori can directly destroy the gastric mucosa, there are patients with mucosal atrophy, resulting in symptoms, fear of cancer we recommend eradication, emphasizing the standardization of treatment, a radical treatment, to reduce recurrence.
Pay attention to the use of hormones, “painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs”, which can weaken the resistance and repair ability of the gastric mucosa, and even directly lead to gastric mucosal damage, the use of these drugs need to be noted.
Quit smoking and alcohol, which not only directly cause gastritis, but also make it difficult to heal the gastric mucosa damage, which is a cliché.
Relief of symptoms
Commonly used drugs that inhibit gastric acid include H2 receptor antagonists (a certain titin) and proton pump inhibitors (a certain razole); drugs that protect the gastric mucosa include: aluminum thioglycollate, colloidal bismuth pectin.