What is gastritis?
Gastritis is inflammation (irritation) of your stomach lining. It can come and go quickly (acute) or last a long time (chronic) depending on the cause.
Gastritis may be caused by infection, stress, or medicine
You might have pain or discomfort in your belly area, feel sick to your stomach, or throw up blood
Doctors may need to look into your stomach with a flexible viewing tube
Doctors will give you medicine to lower the amount of acid in your stomach
What causes gastritis?
Common causes of gastritis include:
Drinking alcohol or other harsh substances that hurt your stomach lining
Infection, most commonly with bacteria called Helicobacter pylori
Stress, including stress from serious injury or illness
What are the symptoms of gastritis?
Gastritis may not cause symptoms.
If you do have symptoms, they can include:
Pain or discomfort in your belly, usually in the upper middle part
Feeling sick to your stomach or throwing up
If gastritis causes stomach bleeding, you may:
Throw up blood or dark material that looks like coffee grounds
Pass dark black stool (poop)
How can doctors tell if I have gastritis?
Doctors can often tell if you have gastritis based on your symptoms. Tests usually aren't needed.
Sometimes, doctors may:
Look in your stomach with an endoscope (a flexible viewing tube)
Do a biopsy (take a sample of your stomach lining to look at under a microscope)
How do doctors treat gastritis?
Doctors treat symptoms with medicines, such as:
Antacids, which neutralize the acid in your stomach and are available without a doctor's prescription
Acid-reducing medicines, which cause your stomach to make less acid
Antibiotics, if your gastritis is from infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria
