Gastritis symptoms include pain and discomfort in the upper stomach. They may be mild or severe and usually occur in people who are older.
It’s important to see a health care provider as soon as you experience any of these symptoms. This is so that a diagnosis can be made and the correct treatment plan can be put in place.
Your doctor may ask you to provide your medical history. This will help them identify any factors that may be contributing to your gastritis symptoms, as well as other conditions or diseases.
They might also order tests to check for certain problems. These tests may involve a breath test, blood test, stool sample, or an endoscopy to examine the inside of your stomach.
The tests are designed to give your health care provider a full picture of what’s happening and to identify any issues that could lead to complications or even death.
These tests might include a blood test, which can show whether you are immune-compromised and prone to gastritis, or a saliva test, which can tell whether you have a bacterial infection in your stomach called Helicobacter pylori.
If your symptoms are due to a bacterial infection, your health care provider may prescribe antibiotics or suggest an anti-inflammatory medication. They might also recommend a diet that helps reduce your risk of infection.
Other treatments can include acid-reducing drugs, such as proton pump inhibitors or histamine blockers. These medications are more effective, have fewer side effects and work quickly to relieve your symptoms.
They are most effective when used after the underlying cause of your gastritis is diagnosed. They can be used for a few weeks or months, depending on your situation.
Your health care provider will prescribe a number of different medications to treat your symptoms and heal the damaged tissue in your stomach. These medicines can range from antacids to other kinds of medication that block the production of acid, such as glucocorticoids, iron supplements and proton pump inhibitors.
In most cases, your healthcare provider will start with antacids to reduce the amount of stomach acid produced and relieve your symptoms. These can be given by mouth, or taken in a capsule.
You might have to wait a few days after taking the medication before you feel any relief, but most patients will begin feeling better within a few weeks or even months of starting the treatment regimen.
The first thing you can do to help ease the symptoms of your gastritis is to eat more slowly and less often, and avoid foods that aggravate your symptoms, such as fatty or spicy foods. You can also take a break from alcohol, which can irritate the mucous lining of your stomach and can trigger painful gastritis symptoms.
Another way to help prevent gastritis is to keep good hygiene habits, such as hand-washing. This can help prevent a bacterial infection of your stomach, which can exacerbate gastritis and other digestive problems.
