The days when people did not think about the quality of food, because they grew everything on their own and ate exclusively homemade food, have long gone. Today, most manufacturers only care about their wallet, pumping their products with various substances. In addition, humanity has an addiction to fried, spicy, smoked, s alty, sweet and fatty foods, drinks an incredible amount of carbonated drinks and coffee. Treatment of some diseases is impossible without antibiotics, and not every patient is in a hurry to restore the intestinal microflora after antibiotic therapy. Due to all these and many other reasons, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract develop, one of which is anacid gastritis. Symptoms and treatment, diagnosis, the role of proper nutrition and other important information are all in this article.
What is anacid gastritis?
The medical term implies one of the varieties of this disease of a chronic type, which is characterized by low acidity of gastric juice. It is caused by insufficient (or rather, zero) secretion of hydrochloric acid by parietal cells. This specificliquid is necessary for the digestive organ to digest food and assimilate it.
The role of acidity in the human stomach
Hydrochloric acid performs several important functions:
- Takes an active part in protein digestion.
- Has a bactericidal effect, which contributes to the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms. Otherwise, the mucous membrane will constantly become inflamed.
- Essential for normal peristalsis.
When anacid gastritis is diagnosed, all these functions are impaired. It is also known that the lack of hydrochloric acid causes a decrease in immunity. This leads to frequent illnesses and causes a feeling of chronic fatigue and the development of tumor diseases.
Causes for the development of pathology
This type of gastritis is much less common than, for example, hyperacid, so it has not yet been possible to identify the "culprits" of its occurrence with 100% accuracy. Nevertheless, scientists were able to determine what can provoke anacid gastritis:
- Too spicy and hot food.
- Excessive coffee consumption, especially on an empty stomach.
- One or two meals a day with a large interval between meals.
- Food dry (no soups in the diet).
- Alcohol abuse and frequent smoking.
Symptoms reporting this disease
Since any form of this pathology manifests itself with approximately the same signs, it is difficult towill understand that it is anacid gastritis. Symptoms:
- Bad breath that persists even after brushing your teeth;
- vomiting mucus or bile;
- stomach pain and feeling of heaviness;
- weight loss for no good reason;
- disturbed stool - diarrhea or constipation;
- burping with bad taste in mouth;
- fatigue and loss of appetite.
The longer anacid gastritis develops, the more severe the symptoms. In addition, if you do not start treatment, there is a high probability of joining a number of other signs of the disease:
- progressive weight loss;
- development of comorbidities of the gastrointestinal tract;
- aversion to certain foods, which was not there before;
- flatulence and rumbling in the stomach;
- development of anemia.
Both lists of symptoms can also apply to other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, so in any case, if one or more signs appear, you should visit a gastroenterologist and take tests to clarify the diagnosis.
Diagnostic research methods to confirm the diagnosis
When a doctor suspects chronic anacid gastritis, he prescribes a procedure to the patient, the purpose of which is to determine the level of acidity. For this, a tube with electrodes at the end is used, connected to a special device. It is inserted into the patient's mouth, then gradually advanced through the pharynx intoesophagus, and from there to the stomach. During the journey, the device takes readings from the mucous membrane and transmits it to the screen. This procedure is called "intragastric pH-metry".
Anacid gastritis is when, according to the results of the study, the pH level fluctuates around 5-6. Other tests are also carried out that allow you to clarify the patient's state of he alth and determine a treatment plan. Among them:
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- X-ray of the stomach with contrast agent;
- spinal cord puncture - this procedure is necessary to determine anemia;
- fibrogastroscopy;
- analysis of stomach contents to detect bacteria;
- biopsy of the gastric mucosa.
How dangerous is this disease?
Anacid gastritis, the symptoms of which are poorly expressed at the initial stage, is dangerous because it does not make itself felt immediately, because in this way the patient would have the opportunity to immediately begin treatment. Otherwise, that is, without appropriate therapy, the state of he alth will only worsen.
As already mentioned above, hydrochloric acid is necessary for the digestion of food entering the stomach, and it also acts as a disinfectant and bactericidal. When the synthesis of this important fluid is impaired, the functions are impaired, during which pathogenic microbes are activated that destroy the microflora. This condition leads to the development of a wide variety of diseases, such as enteritis, pancreatitis, colitis, cholecystitis and dysbacteriosis.
Treatment of anacid gastritis: all available options
To eliminate the disease, you need to act on the causes of its development - this is the basic rule of high-quality therapy for any pathology. In the case of anacid gastritis, everything is more difficult, since it has not yet been possible to establish pathogens. Nevertheless, treatment is necessary, and doctors have their own thoughts on this matter.
When faced with this disease, gastroenterologists act as follows:
- Perform symptomatic therapy.
- Prescribe antibacterial agents.
- Prescription drugs designed to stimulate the production of hydrochloric acid.
To cure anacid gastritis, drugs for treatment can be selected as follows:
- enveloping action ("Almagel", "Phosphalugel");
- antispasmodics ("No-Shpa", "Drotaverine");
- enzyme preparations ("Pancreatin", "Pepsin");
- vitamin-mineral complexes, in particular containing cyanocobalamin (B12).
If the analysis revealed the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, additional antibiotics are prescribed, such as "Amoxicillin" or "Metronidazole". But only a doctor can prescribe any drugs.
The disease responds well to folk remedies. The most commonly used infusion of prunes, fresh plantain juice and various herbal preparations.
It is important that the treatment plan is prescribedspecialist, since inadequate intake of medicines will not only not give the desired effect, but can also adversely affect the patient's he alth.
Eating advice
It is easy to guess that the disease anacid gastritis is much easier to cure if you follow a certain diet. Proper nutrition in general is a panacea for almost all diseases, and even more so related to the gastrointestinal tract. It is worth paying attention to these recommendations:
- give up fatty, fried and rough food;
- cook with vegetable or ghee;
- eat daily at the same time and at least 5 times a day, but in small portions;
- if you want a vegetable salad, it is better to boil half of the vegetables and leave the other fresh, because this way the dish will not be too rough, but at the same time it will stimulate the production of digestive juice.
Recommended to include lean meats such as chicken breast and turkey fillet in the diet. For a side dish, you can cook cereals or pasta, and bread at the time of use should be yesterday's. It is useful to eat fruits and berries, drink milk, herbal decoctions, fruit drinks and compotes. For example, you can study the treatment table No. 2 according to Pevzner.
Preventive measures
Anacid gastritis, the symptoms and treatment of which were described above, can be overcome if you follow a he althy lifestyle: eat right, spend more time outdoorsair, exercise moderately actively and give up bad habits. If you follow these recommendations, it will be possible to prevent the development of not only gastrointestinal diseases, but also almost all others, and then nothing can prevent you from achieving your life goals!
