Patient's question:
A two-month-old baby has a bloated stomach and is not eating. The hospital examination revealed that the baby has gastroenteritis. What is gastroenteritis?Doctor's answer:
Gastritis is a general term referring to various inflammations of the gastric mucosa. As a descriptive clinical term, gastritis encompasses multiple types of gastric mucosal inflammation, which can be broadly categorized into acute gastritis and chronic gastritis. Further includes erosive gastritis, atrophic gastritis, drug-induced gastritis, stress gastritis, corrosive gastritis, bile reflux gastritis, gastric ulcer-related gastritis, and idiopathic gastritis, among others.● How many types of gastritis are there? How do they occur?
Gastritis refers to acute or chronic inflammatory changes in the gastric mucosa caused by various factors. It is divided into two types: acute gastritis and chronic gastritis.
(1) Acute Gastritis:
The causes of acute gastritis are diverse, including pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins, such as Salmonella and halophilic bacteria infections. Physical factors, such as eating too quickly or consuming excessively hot or cold food. Chemical factors, such as accidental ingestion of strong acids, strong alkalis, high-concentration salicylates, chlortetracycline, ammonium chloride, and excessive alcohol consumption. All of these factors can lead to acute gastritis.
(2) Chronic Gastritis:
The primary cause of chronic gastritis is the failure to promptly treat acute gastritis, leading to prolonged or recurrent episodes. Chronic irritation of the gastric mucosa by substances like chili peppers, strong alcohol, or salicylate drugs, or a lack of essential nutrients such as protein and B vitamins, can cause mucosal degeneration. Additionally, abnormal gastric function, such as heart failure or portal hypertension-induced gastric congestion, can lead to tissue hypoxia, impaired nutrition, reduced gastric acid secretion, and bacterial overgrowth in the stomach.
Chronic gastritis is further classified into three types based on lesions and duration: superficial gastritis, atrophic gastritis, and hypertrophic gastritis.