Gastritis
Charles Theisler in Adjuvant Medical Care, 2022
Gastritis is a general term for a group of conditions that cause inflammation, irritation, or erosion of the mucosal barrier lining the stomach. Pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen is the most common symptom. However, symptoms do not necessarily correspond to the extent of physical changes in the stomach lining. Severe gastritis may be present on endoscopy without the patient having any symptoms. Conversely, severe symptoms may be present with minimal or no changes visible in the lining. Gastritis, 137 whether associated with an autoimmune process, chemical injury, or H. pylori infection, underlies the development of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The goals of treatment are to reduce gastric inflammation, relieve symptoms, and eliminate the underlying cause, if possible.
How can I help a patient who is nauseated or vomiting?
Claud Regnard, Margaret Kindlen in Supportive and Palliative Care in Cancer, 2018
Nausea and vomiting affects nearly two-thirds of patients with advanced cancer. Both are very distressing when they persist. Drugs can slow the emptying and cause food and drink to build up in the stomach until the patient produces a large vomit, perhaps only once a day. Nausea is brief, occurring just before the vomit, with the patient feeling more comfortable after they have vomited. Drugs and anxiety can both cause the lining of the stomach to become inflamed causing a 'gastritis'. In severe cases this can progress to an ulcer. Having an awareness of the range of causes of nausea and vomiting helps us to be on the alert and reduce the fear and embarrassment that often accompanies this symptom. Treatment will depend on the cause. This might be soothing an irritated stomach, helping to reduce anxiety, treating an infection or correcting abnormally high blood calcium.
Nausea and vomiting
Heather Campbell in Nursing & Health Survival Guide: Palliative Care, 2014
This chapter deals with the management of nausea and vomiting which depends on the cause. Some gastrointestinal causes are Squashed stomach, Intestinal obstruction, Constipation, Gastritis, Delayed gastric emptying, Enlarged liver. Vomiting occurs when the vomiting reflex in the brain is stimulated by sensory messages from various parts of the brain and gastrointestinal tract. It in turn stimulates the vagus nerve and other cranial nerves to the stomach and upper gastrointestinal tract to cause vomiting to occur. The importance of understanding the pathways and the neurotransmitters involved is important because:The sensory pathways to the vomiting centre have different neurotransmitter receptor sites Different antiemetics block different neurotransmitter receptors which in turn inhibit the sensory signals to the vomiting centre. Other antiemetics are Levomepromazine, Ondansetron, Octreotide, Hyoscine butylbromide. General principles to manage nausea and vomiting are Treat the cause, The antiemetic chosen depends on the cause. May need to be given via a parenteral route. Some antiemetics should not be given together.
Postural Epigastric Pain: A Challenging Symptom for Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Gastritis
Published in Renal Failure, 2012
Umit Tapan, Aysun Aybal Kutlugun, Mustafa Arici, Bulent Altun
Postural epigastric pain is an uncommon symptom and is hardly acquired unless specifically asked to the patient. Here we present a cytomegalovirus (CMV) gastritis case in a renal transplant patient with postural epigastric pain. A 36-year-old male was admitted to our clinic on the 50th day of renal transplantation with postural epigastric pain. All investigations were unremarkable except biopsy-proven CMV gastritis and increased CMV viral load. The patient was free of symptom after ganciclovir treatment. Postural epigastric pain has not been described together with a clinical entity. Although not proved yet, it can be regarded as a unique symptom of CMV gastritis. Renal transplant patients presenting with postural epigastric pain which is not relieved with acid suppression should raise suspicion of CMV gastritis and this has to be confirmed by endoscopy and biopsy.
Association between serum levels of high sensitive C-reactive protein and inflammation activity in chronic gastritis patients
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2016
Asghar Rahmani, Atefeh Moradkhani, Mohammad Reza Hafezi Ahmadi, Ali Jafari Heirdarlo, Ghobad Abangah, Khairollah Asadollahi, Kourosh Sayehmiri
Background Gastritis is an important premalignant lesion and recent studies suggested a production of inflammatory cytokine-like C-reactive protein during gastritis. This study aimed to determine any relationship between high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and inflammation activity among patients with gastritis. Methods Demographic and clinical variables of participants were collected by a validated questionnaire. Using histology of the gastric mucosa, Helicobacter pylori status was investigated and serum concentrations of hs-CRP were measured among dyspeptic patients. Correlation between hs-CRP serum levels and inflammation activities was evaluated by logistic regression analysis. The relation between active inflammation and other variables was evaluated by logic link function model. Results Totally 239 patients (56.6% female) were analysed. The prevalence of mild, moderate and severe inflammation activities was 66.5%, 23.8% and 9.6% respectively. Mean ± SD of hs-CRP among men and women were 2.85 ± 2.84 mg/dl and 2.80 ± 4.80 mg/dl (p = 0.047) respectively. Mean ± SD of hs-CRP among patients with H. pylori infection, gland atrophy, metaplasia and dysplasia were 2.83 ± 3.80 mg/dl, 3.52 ± 5.1 mg/dl, 2.22 ± 2.3 mg/dl and 5.3 ± 5.04 mg/dl respectively. Relationship between hs-CRP and inflammation activities (p
Chronic gastritis
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2015
Pentti Sipponen, Heidi-Ingrid Maaroos
Prevalence of chronic gastritis has markedly declined in developed populations during the past decades. However, chronic gastritis is still one of the most common serious pandemic infections with such severe killing sequelae as peptic ulcer or gastric cancer. Globally, on average, even more than half of people may have a chronic gastritis at present. Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood is the main cause of chronic gastritis, which microbial origin is the key for the understanding of the bizarre epidemiology and course of the disease. A life-long and aggressive inflammation in gastritis results in destruction (atrophic gastritis) of stomach mucosa with time (years and decades). The progressive worsening of atrophic gastritis results subsequently in dysfunctions of stomach mucosa. Atrophic gastritis will finally end up in a permanently acid-free stomach in the most extreme cases. Severe atrophic gastritis and acid-free stomach are the highest independent risk conditions for gastric cancer known so far. In addition to the risks of malignancy and peptic ulcer, acid-free stomach and severe forms of atrophic gastritis may associate with failures in absorption of essential vitamins, like vitamin B12, micronutrients (like iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc), diet and medicines.