The disease, like gastritis, affects more than half of the population. Very often you can hear this question: "What does superficial gastritis mean?"The answer to it is quite simple. This disease has several stages, the easiest of which is a superficial one.
With superficial gastritis, the entire internal surface of the stomach inflames, and some dystrophic changes appear in the epithelium of its upper layer. Symptomatology of superficial gastritis of the stomach is endoscopic, clearly expressed.
Disease is considered the easiest form of gastritis. In terms of severity, which depends on the level of damage to the mucosa and its swelling, it is divided into weak, moderate and strongly pronounced.
Initially, its surface form did not stand out as a separate disease. She was simply observed without the appointment of an appropriate treatment. But practice has shown that such an approach is dangerous because of the rapid transition of the disease to a chronic form, and this negatively affects the work of the entire gastrointestinal tract.
What does superficial gastritis mean?
With this pathology of the stomach, there are a number of pronounced signs, which are always clearly manifested in a person who is ill. In addition to pain and discomfort in the epigastric region, there is an unpleasant odor from the mouth, and in between meals there is a sore sensation in the digestive organ. The following symptoms often also appear:
- Nausea, vomiting;
- Persistent heartburn and eructation;
- Stomach upset accompanied by stool disorders.
If, after the symptoms appeared, mineral water was drunk, there was relief, this indicates an easy form of the course of superficial gastritis.
Why superficial gastritis can occur
When diagnosing and compiling a medical history, doctors distinguish several causes of this type of disease, both external and internal. Among the external most common are the following:
- Disruption in diet, regular snacks, eating fast food and carbonated drinks, especially cola;
- Excessive use of certain medicines;
- Infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori;
- Harmful operating conditions;
- Abuse of alcohol and smoking;
- Frequent stressful situations, nervous overload.
And to the internal causes of superficial gastritis of the stomach, it can be attributed such as:
- Hereditary factors;
- Infectious diseases that have become chronic;
- Food allergy;
- Problems with the endocrine system.
An easy form of superficial gastritis of the stomach develops also when consuming too hot or spicy food. The risk of its development can also be caused by diseases of the thyroid gland, cardiac or renal insufficiency, arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
Superficial gastritis with hemorrhagic component
If a diagnosis of this stage of the disease, for the patient it means that on the inflamed surface of the mucous membrane of the stomach, in addition to swelling and redness, erosion begins to form.
This stage of the disease can not be called easy. With it, internal bleeding can often occur. This is due to the fact that the walls of the vessels are very much thinned.
The clinical picture of this type of disease in its course is very similar to gastritis with high acidity. Complaints of patients are as follows:
- Strong paroxysmal pains that occur in the epigastric region;
- Nausea, often turning into vomiting
- Constant eructations and heartburn, flatulence.
The only distinguishing component from a mild, superficial form of the disease is that bloody discharge appears in the vomit and feces. But sometimes internal bleeding is difficult to determine, since the patient has no signs of vomiting. The most characteristic symptoms in this development of the disease are the following:
- Stool secretions have a tarry-like liquid structure;
- Severe weakness and tachycardia;
- Shortness of breath, pale skin, dizziness.
That is, if the disease passes with hidden internal bleeding, the leading signs of it become signs of anemia.
On external indicators, this stage of the disease is similar to a ulcer. The only difference is that the healing of damaged areas passes without the formation of scars. Surface gastritis with a hemorrhagic component may occur for a number of reasons:
- Severe stress or shock;
- Extensive burns or trauma to the mucous membrane of the digestive organ;
- Head disorders, sepsis, kidney failure.
It is suspected that the mild form of the disease begins to go into this stage, the patient can by the presence of bloody vaginal discharge in the feces and vomit. But the exact diagnosis should be made only by a specialist after the endoscopic examination is completed in order to start a timely and correct treatment of superficial gastritis with a hemorrhagic bias. In this case, the treatment will bring positive results.
The emergence of superficial gastritis in children
Not only adults are affected by this disease. Now many children, from the earliest age, suffer from this pathology of the stomach. And not surprisingly. After all, a child often forgets to eat on time, got carried away by some game, or for a long time eats only sandwiches, sweets and drinks it all with a cola - the main enemy of the mucous membrane.
In vain many parents are indifferent to the diagnosis of "superficial gastritis" given to the child, believing that this mild form of it does not require special treatment. When untimely or complete absence of treatment, it easily and quickly enough flows into a chronic one, from which it is much more difficult to cope.
Symptoms of superficial gastritis in children consist in the fact that the onset of the disease is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the gastric mucosa. But based on the fact that he is not always able to convey his feelings, parents simply need to know those signs by which you can easily identify the onset of the disease.
- Babies with an onset of superficial gastritis become restless and often fussy;
- When the child does not yet know how to speak, he grabs his belly with his hands, showing the place of his painful sensations;
- Also, babies lose activity and sleep badly.
All these symptoms must be paid attention, so that the doctor can diagnose the child at the onset of superficial gastritis and prescribe the necessary treatment in this case to prevent the transition of the disease to a serious stage.
The physiological signs of this disease, which began in the child, include the following:
- A white scurf appears on the tongue;
- No bruises under the eyes;
- Skin becomes very pale.
When the disease worsens, all these symptoms of superficial gastritis are accompanied by severe headaches, nausea, stool disorders, bloating, fever. Any of these signs accompanying a superficial gastritis, is an occasion for immediate reference to the doctor.
Do not resort to folk remedies to remove them. It is necessary to immediately go through the necessary diagnostics and identify the stage of the disease in order to start a complex treatment, which at the initial stage is able to give good results.