Atrophic gastritis is a fairly common disease that is most often diagnosed in adulthood. Such a disease is accompanied by inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which gradually leads to its thinning and atrophy. It is important to know what are the symptoms of atrophic gastritis. The sooner treatment is started, the less likely there are irreversible changes in the structure of the stomach wall.
Atrophic gastritis and its causes
In fact, such a pathology can develop for various reasons. Therefore, before considering the main symptoms of atrophic gastritis, it is worth learning more about its causes.
The inflammatory process can occur against the background of various diseases of the digestive system. Some infectious diseases can lead to the same result. There is also a hereditary predisposition.
As for exogenous factors, this group includes malnutrition, prolonged and uncontrolled intakecertain medicines, as well as chronic poisoning, in particular with ethyl alcohol (alcoholism).
Main symptoms of atrophic gastritis
It should immediately be noted that atrophy of the mucous membrane leads not only to indigestion, but also affects the functional activity, secretion of gastric juice. And, as a result, disrupts the work of almost the entire body. This can explain the main symptoms of atrophic gastritis:
- For example, after each meal, a sick person, as a rule, feels heaviness and fullness in the stomach.
- Exacerbation of atrophic gastritis is often accompanied by belching with an unpleasant aftertaste and quite severe heartburn after eating. At the same time, pain and burning in the epigastric region are absent, unlike other forms of this disease.
- As a result of a violation of the digestive processes, a person loses his appetite, and his weight drops sharply.
- There are also problems with bowel movements: diarrhea is replaced by constipation and vice versa.
- In some cases, after eating, patients complain of weakness in the body, dizziness and excessive sweating.
- Grumbling in the stomach can also be attributed to the main symptoms.
It is worth noting that if left untreated, the consequences can be dire. Indeed, as a result of indigestion, the body does not receive enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Quite often, atrophic gastritis leads to the development of beriberi,anemia, etc.
Atrophic gastritis and treatment methods
If you have such problems with the digestive system, you should immediately consult a doctor. The diagnosis of "atrophic gastritis" can only be made after endoscopic examination, in which it is easy to notice the thinning of the gastric mucosa. Treatment in this case must be comprehensive. To begin with, the doctor prescribes drugs that will help eliminate the main symptoms of the disease - these are heartburn pills, drugs that stimulate the processes of peristalsis. But the restoration of the gastric mucosa is a long process. Therapy in this case includes the right diet (exclusion from the diet of spicy, fried, spicy and s alty foods, alcoholic beverages), an active lifestyle (outdoor recreation, therapeutic exercises), as well as spa treatment. In the absence of medical care and non-compliance with all doctor's recommendations, atrophic gastritis can lead to stomach cancer.
