So much has been said about gastritis that it is unlikelyyou can say something new. But, nevertheless, the vast majority of people still do not have a clear idea of what gastritis is and how to act when its symptoms appear. And such ignorance can be very expensive - if treatment is not started in a timely manner, more serious complications may develop, for example, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. It is gastritis that we will talk about in today's conversation. And we will talk specifically about the acute form of the disease - because at this stage it is easiest to cope with the disease. And if acute gastritis is ignored and the necessary measures are not taken, the disease can take a chronic form.
Causes of development of acute gastritis
Of course, gastritis cannot occur onout of nowhere, for no reason. And there are quite a few of these reasons that provoke the development of acute gastritis. Doctors distinguish two main types of aggressive factors: endogenous and exogenous. Exogenous – external – factors include:
- Disturbance of nutrition
What has the most direct impact onthe mucous membrane of the stomach? That's right, food products. And that's why the health of the stomach depends on what a person eats. And eating poor-quality food very often leads to a severe inflammatory process of the mucous membrane of the stomach. And, as a consequence, to the development of acute gastritis. Therefore, carefully monitor the quality of the products you eat, their expiration dates, storage conditions. Try to avoid eating at fast food outlets. In addition, the development of gastritis can be provoked by eating food that is unusual for a person. For example, you are accustomed to Russian cuisine, but you ate some dish from the Caucasus, too spicy and fatty. Do not be surprised later why your stomach rebelled so much. By the way, this very often happens on vacation, when people go on vacation to hot countries. As a result, the vacation is ruined. Often, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach develops due to banal overeating. If the stomach is constantly overloaded, sooner or later all enzymatic systems will be disrupted. And then it's a stone's throw to acute gastritis. Such cases of acute gastritis are most often observed after holidays, during which heavy feasts are common.
- Alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic drinks are a seriousa test for the entire human body. Including the gastric mucosa. And if alcohol is consumed in too large doses, an inflammatory process may develop. The same thing happens if the alcoholic drink is of poor quality. Just a couple of glasses of such a drink - and acute gastritis is guaranteed.
- Medications
Sometimes acute gastritis can develop inas a result of the effect of certain pharmacological drugs on the gastric mucosa. If you have stomach pains while taking any medications, seek help from your doctor as soon as possible.
- Exposure to chemicals
Sometimes the mucous membrane lesion can becaused by chemicals entering the body, such as household chemicals. Most often, such incidents happen to small children who try to taste everything they see. However, adults can also face a similar situation - for example, if the dishes were not rinsed well and detergent remains on them.
- Extreme food temperature
Sometimes the main cause of inflammation of the mucous membraneshell becomes a person's love for very hot or very cold products. Therefore, you should not get carried away with such dishes - it is best to eat food at about 37 degrees. By the way, this is also very useful for your teeth - tooth enamel reacts very negatively to temperature changes. So, we have dealt with external factors. It's time to talk about endogenous - internal - factors. Yes - yes, in some cases, it is certain diseases that can provoke the development of acute gastritis:
- Extensive decay of proteins
In the event that acute gastritis developed afterextensive burns or after a blood transfusion, the cause is most likely massive protein breakdown. In this case, the doctor will take all necessary measures to eliminate acute gastritis.
- Viral infections
Sometimes the development of gastritis can beprovoked by sources of acute infection present in the body. For example, dysentery or viral hepatitis. In this case, infectious gastritis occurs. Treatment of such cases of gastritis is carried out in parallel with the main disease, in an infectious diseases hospital. Self-treatment is in no case allowed.
- Diseases of internal organs
In some cases, acute gastritis is caused by chronic kidney or liver diseases. The same applies to metabolic disorders.
Symptoms of acute gastritis
The course of acute gastritis cannot remainunnoticed - the signs of the inflammatory process are very pronounced. There are certain symptoms that indicate the presence of acute gastritis. These include:
- Painful sensations
Pain in the stomach area is one of the firstsymptoms that the gastric mucosa is inflamed. Moreover, the pain is often so severe that a person can hardly bear it. After eating, the pain intensifies many times. That is why a strict diet is recommended in the first few days of the disease. And only after the symptoms of the disease have weakened, you can begin to introduce foods. The pain is especially severe if a person has acute erosive gastritis. With this type of disease, not only inflammation of the gastric mucosa occurs, but also its subsequent ulceration. Without a gastroscopy, it is quite difficult to determine exactly that a person has encountered erosive gastritis - all the signs are typical.
- Nausea and vomiting
Very often gastritis in the acute stageaccompanied by a feeling of nausea, and sometimes vomiting occurs. Moreover, these symptoms also most often appear after eating, and sometimes even just water. Although sometimes these symptoms may be absent altogether.
Diagnosis of the disease
In order to prescribe the correct treatment,the disease must be diagnosed correctly. To do this, the patient must seek help from a gastroenterologist. The doctor will examine the patient, listen to all complaints, assess the symptoms and prescribe certain tests. As a rule, the following is prescribed to diagnose acute gastritis:
- Gastroscopic examination of the stomach
This type of research consists of the following.A special probe with a video camera at the end is inserted into the stomach cavity. The mucous membrane of the stomach is displayed on the screen and the doctor can assess its condition in real time. And, accordingly, diagnose the disease. In addition, this probe is equipped with special devices that allow, if necessary, to immediately take pieces of the mucous membrane for their further laboratory examination. Many people are extremely worried and refuse gastroscopy, believing that it is extremely painful. However, this is not true at all - before the procedure, the doctor will anesthetize the throat and you will not feel any pain. Of course, you will not be able to avoid a few unpleasant minutes, but they are quite bearable. After all, a more reliable way to diagnose gastritis today simply does not exist. You cannot rely on symptoms alone.
- Determination of acidity level of gastric juice
For a complete diagnosis you cannot do withoutdetermining the level of acidity of gastric juice. This is necessary in order to understand what type of gastritis the patient is facing. After all, the success of treatment depends on this - for each type of gastritis it is different. And incorrectly selected medications can only worsen the situation.
- Ultrasound examination of abdominal organs
You can't do without ultrasoundexamination of the abdominal organs. It is necessary for the doctor to make sure that there are no accompanying pathologies. You remember that sometimes acute gastritis is a direct consequence of certain diseases of the internal organs? In addition, the symptoms of gastritis can be similar to a number of other diseases - for example, acute pancreatitis. And you can't rely only on the signs of the disease - the probability of error is very high.
Treatment of acute gastritis: diet
Drug treatment should be prescribed onlygastroenterologist. He will also prescribe physiotherapy if necessary. The sick person is required to strictly follow all the doctor's orders, recommendations and instructions. And first of all, the sick person must strictly follow a diet.
- Starvation
During the first few days of illness, the patienta person must completely abstain from food. Although most often a sick person does not feel any desire to eat - pain completely suppresses appetite. The only thing that is allowed during this period is liquid. It is best to drink clean still water or unsweetened dried fruit compote. Drinking is especially important if the sick person starts vomiting. Otherwise, he is at risk of severe dehydration.
- Exit from fasting
Around the third or fourth day, whenthe pain will subside, you can start eating. However, it goes without saying that this must be done very carefully so as not to overload the stomach after a long fast. On the first day, the sick person is allowed to eat no more than 200 grams of any slimy soup. On the second day, you can add a bowl of boiled porridge and one glass of jelly to the soup. And only on the third day can the sick person allow himself 100 grams of meat puree or steamed cutlets.
- List of strictly prohibited products
For the duration of treatment – until complete recovery – fromThe menu should strictly exclude the following products: spicy, smoked and salted, all products containing artificial preservatives and dyes. In addition, it is necessary to completely exclude all kinds of spices, seasonings and sauces, with the exception of perhaps low-fat sour cream. Also, watch what the sick person drinks - it is worth excluding coffee, alcoholic and carbonated drinks, too sour and sweet juices.
- List of allowed products
You can use any without restrictionsfermented milk products, lean meats, fish and poultry, heat-treated vegetables. You can drink still water, fermented milk drinks, fruit drinks and dried fruit compotes. All dishes must be boiled, fried or baked in the oven. And try to make such a diet the norm of your life, and not just a forced measure during the treatment of acute gastritis.
Folk methods of treatment of acute gastritis
Treatment of acute gastritis is a very complex process.responsible. And it should be carried out under strict medical supervision. But you can also treat gastritis with folk medicine recipes. Of course, only after a preliminary consultation with your doctor. Folk medicine recipes can only be an aid in treating gastritis, but not an alternative to the main treatment. Treating gastritis with folk remedies alone is unacceptable.
- Elimination of pain
In the event that a sick person is botheredacute pain, you can try the following remedy. You will need one ampoule of novocaine, three aloe leaves and three tablespoons of dried chamomile flowers, one tablespoon of honey. Place the chamomile in a thermos, pour one glass of boiling water and leave to infuse for at least an hour. During this time, peel the aloe leaves, use a sieve to grind them to a puree state. After an hour, strain the infusion and pour into a glass container. Add honey to the chamomile infusion and mix thoroughly. After the infusion has cooled to room temperature, add the aloe pulp and novocaine. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly - you should get a homogeneous mass. The patient should drink the entire resulting volume within 10 minutes, then lie down. As a rule, even the most severe pain subsides in just half an hour. You should not abuse this remedy - it can be taken no more than twice a day. Remember that this remedy is not a treatment for gastritis, but only an emergency aid.
- Elimination of the inflammatory process of the gastric mucosa
Do you remember that acute gastritis is nothing?other than an inflammatory process of the gastric mucosa? This means that treatment should be aimed primarily at eliminating this inflammatory process. And this can be done with the help of St. John's wort. You will need five tablespoons of dry St. John's wort. Place it in an enamel pan, pour in a liter of water and boil for 30 minutes. Then leave it to brew for two hours. Strain the broth with a gauze cloth, add a few spoons of any natural honey to give it a pleasant taste. The sick person should drink the resulting broth within 24 hours. As a rule, relief comes in a couple of days, but gastritis must be treated for exactly a week. Do not prepare the broth for future use - it cannot be stored for more than one day.
- Honey broth
We probably won't make much of a differenceoriginality, telling you about the following remedy - it is used very often. However, it is still worth reminding about it. You will need only warm water and natural honey. Dissolve one tablespoon of any natural honey in a glass of warm water, drink in the morning, on an empty stomach. Honey is very quickly absorbed into the gastric mucosa. It has a strong anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect, normalizes the acidity of gastric juice. The course of treatment should last 10 days. Please note - this remedy can only be used by those people who do not suffer from allergic reactions to honey. If you follow all the doctor's recommendations, strictly follow the therapeutic diet, very soon you will forget about acute gastritis. Be healthy! We advise you to read: