What is gastritis?
"Gastric" is a word for stomach, and "-itis" means inflammation. So 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.
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Gastritis may be caused by infection, stress, or medicine
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You might have pain or discomfort in your belly area, feel sick to your stomach, or throw up blood
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Doctors may need to look into your stomach with a flexible viewing tube
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Doctors will give you medicine to lower the amount of acid in your stomach
What causes gastritis?
Common causes of gastritis include:
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Drinking alcohol or other harsh substances that hurt your stomach lining
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Infection, most commonly with bacteria called Helicobacter pylori
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Stress, including stress from serious injury or illness
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Medicines that irritate your stomach, including certain pain medicines (NSAIDs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen)
What are the symptoms of gastritis?
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:
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Look in your stomach with an endoscope (a flexible viewing tube)
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Do a biopsy (take a sample of your stomach lining to look at under a microscope)
How do doctors treat gastritis?
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
| Generic Name | Select Brand Names |
|---|---|
ibuprofen |
ADVIL, MOTRIN IB |
aspirin |
No US brand name |
