Gastritis

Approximately 50 million people take aspirin every day to prevent cardiovascular events such as stroke or heart attack. So, is more better? Not necessarily.

A recent study indicated that the difference beween taking a 'baby aspirin" (81 mg) a day, vs an adult or whole aspirin (325 mg) is negligible. Both prevent platelets from clotting; thus, preventing stoke or heart attacks. However, there is a difference with bleeding ulcers from the stomach or intestines (mostly the stomach).

Stress or spicy foods do not cause stomach ulcers. What does? The majority of stomach ulcers are caused by a bacteria: helicobacter pylori. Prior to causing an ulcer, gastritis occurs. Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining, and is caused in this case, by the chronic irritation from the bacteria itself, and the resultant iexposure to stomach acid on the lining of the stomach wall.

GI Bleeding, if it occurs, is always serious and potentially a life or death type of situation. As at times, GI Bleeding is very slow to develop, over the course of years sometimes, there may be no symptoms, until an emergency exists.

The use of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs such as Motrin), is the second highest cause of gastritis and GI bleeding. Usually, this damage occurs with the routine and recurrent intake of high doses. The risk seems to be dose dependent; therefore, as the daily dosage increases, so does the risk for gastritis and bleeding.

Gastritis: Possible causes numerous

If you have read the brief Anatomy and Physiology Section of Gastritis within this web-site, then you should easily understand how any one of the myriad of complex functions which occur can go astray, contributing to gastritis. A few of the disorders contributing to gastritis are identified below:

Bacterial infection.

The main cause of true gastritis is Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. H. pylori is indicated in an average of 90% of patients with chronic gastritis H. pylori is a type of bacteria.

Glands responsible for digestion

The glands that act first are in the mouth—the salivary glands. Saliva produced by these glands contains an enzyme that begins to digest the starch from food into smaller molecules.

The next set of digestive glands is in the stomach lining. They produce stomach acid and an enzyme that digests protein. One of the unsolved puzzles of the digestive system is why the acid juice of the stomach does not dissolve the tissue of the stomach itself. In most people, the stomach mucosa is able to resist the juice, although food and other tissues of the body cannot.

To understand the causes of gastritis, must one first have a small amount of knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the stomach.

The esophagus is the organ into which the swallowed food is pushed. It connects the throat above with the stomach below. At the junction of the esophagus and stomach, there is a ringlike valve closing the passage between the two organs. However, as the food approaches the closed ring, the surrounding muscles relax and allow the food to pass.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

There are many causes of gastritis (i.e. inflammation of the stomach lining).
The most common are:

• Alcohol

• Erosion (loss) of the protective layer of the stomach lining

• Infection of the stomach with Helicobacter pylori bacteria

• Medications (such as aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs)

• Smoking

Less common causes are:

Editor's Note:

"Race" is sometimes mentioned as a risk factor in the development of certain cancers and a number of other diseases. When you read this in a discussion about an illness, note that the explanation seldom refers to anything biological. Instead, it usually refers to behavior, such as eating habits. The kinds of behavior usually mentioned as risk factors are culturally determined. They are not genetic or biological.