What is gastritis? Types, classification and causes

This article details the types of stomach gastritis and form that they can take in the absence of timely treatment.

In addition, you will learn about the main measures that should be taken to implement treatment and prevent the re-development of gastritis.

Basic data

The main types of disease
Acute gastritis	Occurs during overeating, taking too sharp or rough food, unusual to the body, and also due to excessive consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. Most often acute gastritis, the types and forms of which are discussed in detail in the article, is of an easy form, in which hospitalization is not required.
Atrophic gastritis	Inflammation of the gastric mucosa, as a result of which the number of healthy cells in tissues begins to decline rapidly. In the absence of treatment, it can take a chronic form and provoke the appearance of cancer cells. Therefore, before you start treatment, you should first find out what atrophic gastritis is, the types, causes and treatment of which, depending on pathologies and leakage, are discussed in detail in the article. The only way you can get the most benefit from the treatment. instagram stories viewer
Chronic gastritis	Inflammation of the gastric mucosa that adversely affects its performance. Often occurs in people who have repeatedly tolerated the acute form of gastritis, without contacting a doctor.
Gastritis with increased acidity level	This form of the disease is extremely damaging to the mucous layer of the stomach, as with a high level of acidity the body produces hydrochloric acid in large volumes, which in large quantities can trigger the occurrence of burns. In the absence of proper treatment, burns over time are converted into ulceration and erosion, often causing bleeding. Cure such a pathology is difficult, because in the most damaged areas can form an ulcer or in the worst case stomach cancer. Therefore, knowing what kinds of gastritis with high acidity are, you will be able to detect the disease much quicker and see a doctor.
Antacid gastritis	Occurs if the gastric juice produces an insufficient amount of acid. In fact, it is a rare, but difficult to treat inflammation of the gastric mucosa, for the elimination of which it is necessary to use complex treatment.

Remember that in the treatment of all types of gastritis require a strict diet. In this case, the choice of products that suit you in this state, it is better to discuss with a doctor, since the diet will directly depend on the form in which the disease manifested itself. In any case, be prepared for the fact that you have to give up eating sharp and fried foods, as well as alcohol.

Next, you can learn more about the types of gastritis and their treatment, as well as find out what preventive measures will help prevent their re-return.

Atrophic gastritis

Atrophic gastritis is one of the most unpredictable varieties of the disease. This is directly related to the fact that at the initial stage it proceeds almost asymptomatically. In addition, the minor discomfort that it causes can easily be mistaken for the usual malaise, but knowing the main types of gastritis and the symptoms of the disease, you will be able to detect its presence much sooner and consult a doctor. However, remember that most often it develops in men of advanced age.

Under the influence of a number of reasons, gastric cells cease to produce enough elements of gastric juice, producing instead of them mucus.

Although atrophic gastritis, the types of which are presented below, is most often accompanied by an increased or decreased level of acidity in the stomach, the main danger is that, according to numerous studies, it is a harbinger of the emergence of cancer cells.

Main symptoms:

• After eating, even in small amounts in the area of ​​the solar plexus there is a feeling of heaviness and discomfort.
• Even with regular visits to the dentist and completely healthy teeth from the mouth, there is an unpleasant smell. In addition, minor manifestations can form in the oral cavity.
• In the abdomen, rumbling is heard periodically.
• Flatulence, constipation, or diarrhea may occur.
• The weight of the patient is sharply reduced.
• Anemia develops, during which headaches appear, the skin becomes pale yellow, and the tongue begins to tingle.
• The hormonal background is disrupted, which can lead to an early onset of menopause.

Atrophic gastritis, the types and forms of which are discussed in this article, requires the conduct of such studies as gastroscopy or endoscopy. With their help, the doctor will be able not only to understand how much the walls of the stomach have become thin, but also to find out how much the gastric glands are damaged.

In addition, in a number of modern clinics for the detection of atrophic gastritis used gastropanel, which allows a non-invasive way to assess the state of the gastric mucosa.

How does pathology manifest itself?

Depending on the stage on which atrophic gastritis is located, the types of the disease are divided into 4 forms:

• Surface. This is the initial stage of the disease. It is only the first sign that inflammation can appear on the stomach mucosa. It is determined only with the help of endoscopy. If the doctor uses an instrumental way to survey it with his help, he can often determine what the thickness of the gastric wall, at what stage is the degeneration of the epithelium, and circumstantial evidence to establish a state in which there is a hypersecretion of cells.
• Sharp. Inflammatory processes on the gastric mucosa begin to develop rapidly. There is edema of tissues, destruction of the epithelium, which can lead even to erosion of the mucosa, as well as leukocyte infiltration beyond the stomach.
• Moderate. Gastric cells are partially transformed. In order to identify gastritis at this stage, the doctor will need to examine the gastric mucosa for the affected cells. In addition, in some cases, an analysis is carried out, which shows how strongly the tissues have undergone changes.
• Chronic.

Types of the disease

What kind of a form can this form of ailment take? The table below will help you understand this.

Types of atrophic gastritis antral

	In the lower part of the stomach, in the immediate vicinity of the duodenum produced a small compacted "tube", in the form which is manifested this type of gastritis. Affected areas of the stomach are deformed, becoming covered with peculiar scars. The acidity level with antral gastritis either decreases slightly or remains at the same level. In addition, with this type of disease in some patients in the oral cavity begin to develop ulcerative processes.
Focal	In the gastric tissues there are areas with pronounced pathological processes. In rare cases, there may be an increase in the level of acidity, which is directly related to the fact that healthy areas of the stomach completely compensate for the work of the affected.
Diffuse	Is the main harbinger of the onset of dystrophic changes. Its main sign is that the gastric glands are gradually degenerating, as a result of which their normal activity is disrupted and immature cells begin to appear more and more often. In addition, a clear sign of the disease can serve as a deepening of the gastric pits.

Methods of treatment of atrophic gastritis

Because of the fact that there are many forms and types of atrophic gastritis, doctors have not yet developed a uniform method for their treatment. This is directly related to the fact that cells damaged as a result of this type of disease are not restored.

However, a doctor after an individual examination can make the best treatment for each individual patient and assign him the appropriate diet.

Chronic gastritis

If you do not go to the doctor for an acute gastritis or do not follow all the recommendations he gave you regarding his treatment and prevention, the illness eventually takes on a chronic form. In addition, its appearance can affect even a number of exogenous factors, for example, if you for a long time violate the diet.

Types of chronic gastritis

For causes of
Endogenous	Occurs when acute gastritis is complicated by the presence of cardiac and infectious diseases, allergies and diabetes mellitus. Also occurs when the diet is not respected, no teeth, resulting in the food gets into the stomach almost not chewed, thereby exerting excessive stress on it.
Exogenous	Most often occurs in people who come into contact with chemicals for a long time. For example, people working in chemical production.
On the production of gastric juice
With high acidity	Gastric juice is released in too large a volume.
With reduced acidity	Secretory function of the stomach is significantly reduced.
Types of chronic gastritis of the stomach according to a histological sign, detectable by biopsy
Non-atrophic	Gastric glands are affected but not atrophied.
Subatrophic	Gastric glands partially atrophy.
Mixed	Inflammation of the mucosa can dramatically change to a more serious lesion, as a result of which stomach tissues can atrophy.

In addition, all chronic gastritis can be divided relative to the localization of the process by the gastric divisions to the cardial, gastritis and antral body.

Methods for treating chronic gastritis

Knowing about what kinds of gastritis are, you can much sooner determine when the disease will become chronic, which will help in a timely manner to see a doctor for action. Remember that if you do not pay attention to gastritis for a long time, ulcers or even cancer cells can appear on the walls of the stomach. In order for a doctor to accurately determine the type of ailment and adjust the treatment, a number of medical examinations are prescribed, for example, a gastroscopy, a blood test or a measurement of the acidity level.

Chronic gastritis gastric types always require an integrated approach to their treatment, in which the diet will be combined with a number of drugs that envelop the walls of the stomach. In addition, drugs can have an adsorbent and antacid effect. In any case, the medication should be taken a few hours after eating, when the tablets will reduce the strength of inflammation of the mucosa and allow the stomach to calmly digest food.

Gastritis with high acidity

All kinds of gastritis with high acidity develop due to excessive gastric secretion of the digestive secretion. The main sign of their occurrence is the presence of aching pain syndrome, which occurs on an empty stomach or a few hours after eating. The pains are directly related to the contact of hydrochloric acid and inflamed gastric walls and can be localized in the epigastric zone or the left hypochondrium.

Types of gastritis with increased acidity:

• Chemical.
• Fundamental.
• Antral.

Despite the fact that the symptoms of each of these species are very similar, the root causes that affect their occurrence are different.

It is noteworthy that the occurrence of the disease can be affected not only by the presence of bad habits or the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, but also a genetic factor, which can cause even a foundation gastritis. In some cases, the occurrence of any type of gastritis with increased acidity can be affected even by the lack of oxygen that occurs when injuries or systemic diseases.

Methods for treatment of gastritis with increased acidity

A gastrointestinal therapy with high acidity should be handled by a highly qualified specialist who will develop a treatment based on the results of the tests and further annual diagnostics, will be able to choose the optimal correction option, changing it depending on the development or damping of the disease. In addition to palpation, the disease can be diagnosed by conducting a study of gastric juice. So, the doctor will be able to determine in time not only the form, but also the stage of gastritis, and also to find out whether the bacterium Helicobacter pylori influenced its development.

It is noteworthy that when developing the treatment regimen, first not the level of acidity but the state in which the gastric mucosa is located is evaluated. If gastritis with increased acidity is acute, then at the first stage the doctor prescribes medicines that can reduce pain and eliminate inflammation.

Acute gastritis

An inflammatory process that affects the gastric mucosa is called acute gastritis. He can appear at any age, so the first symptoms should immediately consult a doctor.

Types of acute gastritis

Catarrhal	Observed in most cases. It covers the surface of the stomach walls, as a result of which the stomach begins to intensively produce mucus, which can provoke the onset of edema or hyperemia. If an acute gastritis is triggered by ingestion of an allergen into the stomach, a reaction in the form of a rash, swelling, or redness appears on the skin for several minutes. With this type of gastritis due to accumulated mucus, the walls of the stomach significantly thicken. In addition, various defects appear in their surface in the form of ulcers, hemorrhages or coverings with serous exudate, from which the epithelial cells gradually die off.
Corrosive	Appears due to poisoning by concentrated chemicals. At the same time, in the form of pathology, corrosive gastritis can be divided into coagulation( dry) and colliquated( wet) necrosis. In rare cases, for example, when poisoning with chemicals, it can lead to the development of cardiac, hepatic or renal failure. In this case, the walls of the stomach can be damaged so much that its contents will fall into neighboring organs.
Fibrinous	The main cause of its appearance are diseases of an infectious nature caused by various types of poisoning, as a result of which the gastric mucosa undergoes serious changes. If fibrinous gastritis develops into a purulent exudate, the inflammation forms a kind of film on the outside of the stomach walls, under which the tissues are transformed into loose connections. It is noteworthy that if the tissue damage is not strong, the film is easily removed, so during vomiting its elements can be found in the masses.
Phlegmonous	Represents a pronounced purulent gastritis, which develops due to malfunctions of the mucosa. Inflammation occurs as a result of injuries to the stomach walls by foreign objects, for example, if the patient swallowed a large fishbone or needle. These changes affect all layers of the stomach, including the serous membrane, as a result of which the patient develops peritonitis or perigastritis.

Treatment of acute gastritis

If the patient is taking any medications, you should definitely tell the doctor about it so that he can prescribe the right treatment. In addition, even if gastritis does not appear any more, you should regularly visit a gastroenterologist.

Acute gastritis, types, causes, prevention and treatment of which are discussed in this article, require mandatory adherence to a special diet. In addition, after the initial manifestation of the disease, the patient is recommended to fast for 24 hours in order not to load the stomach.

In the treatment of acute gastritis should be concentrated on eliminating the root cause that triggered its occurrence. If acute gastritis was caused by poisoning with chemicals, it is required to wash the stomach.

Antacid gastritis

If the stomach does not cope with the production of a sufficient amount of acid, a hypoacid form of gastritis appears, which, if not properly treated, quickly transforms into an antacid, in which too little hydrochloric acid becomes in the gastric juice. As a result, the food is not digested properly, the digestive process becomes difficult, and in severe forms of antacid gastritis even impossible. Most often, it is diagnosed in elderly patients, manifested in the form of discomfort in the stomach that occurs immediately after eating.

Most often, antacid gastritis develops due to malnutrition, stress, poor heredity, or a weak immune system that does not allow the gastric tissues to produce enough antibodies.

Treatment of antacid gastritis

In antacid gastritis, treatment with enzymatic drugs that promote digestion of food must be combined with a strict diet. If gastritis has affected the normal functioning of the intestine, patients are prescribed drugs that have a stimulating effect on its functioning. In addition, in this case, you must observe the correct, hourly mode of nutrition and in no case overeat. At the same time, remember that it is impossible to completely cure an antacid gastritis, but if you strictly follow the medical recommendations, you can maintain your health at the proper level.

Conclusion

Remember that only the doctor can determine the form, shape and course of gastritis. Do not take medications prescribed by your family and friends - every single form of gastritis requires an individual approach to treatment, and a drug that helped one person help cope with gastritis can have a disastrous effect on the other's body. Take care of yourself and be well!