Gastritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. The most common symptom is upper abdominal pain. Other symptoms include nausea and vomiting, bloating, loss of appetite, and heart burn. Complications may include bleeding, stomach ulcers, and stomach tumors. Common causes include infection with Helicobacter pylori and use of NSAIDs. Less common causes include alcohol, smoking,cocaine, severe illness, autoimmune problems, radiation therapy, and Crohn disease among others. Endoscopy, a type of X-ray known as an upper gastrointestinal series, blood tests, and stool tests may help with diagnosis. The symptoms of gastritis may be a presentation of a myocardial infarction. Other conditions with similar symptoms include inflammation of the pancreas, gallbladder problems, and peptic ulcer disease.Gastritis is believed to affect about half of people. As people get older the disease becomes more common. It, along with a similar condition in the first part of the intestines known as duodenitis, resulted in 60,000 deaths in 2013. H. pylori was first discovered in 1981 by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren.
Recommended investigations. (At the sole discretion of the physician)
