"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. 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

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What is gastritis?

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How do doctors treat gastritis?

Gastritis and Peptic Ulcer Disease

Gastritis

Helicobacter pylori Infection

Peptic Ulcer Disease

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

Which of the following is the most common cause of ischemic hepatitis?

Blocked blood vessels in the hepatic artery and hepatic vein
Decreased blood flow throughout the body
Decreased oxygen levels in the body due to severe respiratory disorders
Increased need for both oxygen and blood resulting from severe bodywide infection (sepsis)

Gastritis

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Last full review/revision Aug 2019

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The Stomach

"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.

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

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
Medicines that irritate your stomach, including certain pain medicines (NSAIDs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen)

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:

Vomit blood or dark material that looks like coffee grounds
Pass dark black stool (from digested blood)

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)

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

Doctors will also have you avoid certain foods and drinks and stop taking medicines that hurt your stomach lining, such as aspirin or other NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen).

Generic Name	Select Brand Names
ibuprofen	ADVIL, MOTRIN IB
aspirin	No US brand name

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