Gastritis - Gastritis isn't one disease but a group of conditions, all of which are characterized by inflammation of the lining of your stomach. Commonly, the inflammation results from infection with the same bacterium that causes most stomach ulcers. Yet other factors — including traumatic injury and regular use of certain pain relievers — also can contribute to gastritis. In spite of the many conditions associated with gastritis, the signs and symptoms of the disease are very similar: A burning pain in your upper abdomen and occasionally, bloating, belching, nausea or vomiting. In some cases, gastritis can lead to ulcers and an increased risk of stomach cancer. For most people, however, gastritis isn't serious and improves quickly with treatment. Signs and symptoms The signs and symptoms of gastritis, which are often relatively mild and short-lived, include: * A gnawing or burning ache or pain (indigestion) in your upper abdomen that may become either worse or better when you eat * Nausea * Vomiting * Loss of appetite * Belching or bloating * A feeling of fullness in your upper abdomen after eating * Weight loss Gastritis that occurs suddenly (acute gastritis) usually results in the classic combination of nausea and burning pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen, whereas chronic gastritis, which develops gradually, is more likely to cause a dull pain and a feeling of fullness or loss of appetite after a few bites of food. For many people, though, chronic gastritis causes no problems at all. Occasionally, gastritis may cause stomach bleeding, but it's rarely severe unless there's also ulceration of your stomach lining. Bleeding in your stomach can cause you to vomit blood or pass black, tarry stools and may require immediate medical care. Because gastritis is one of many common digestive problems with similar signs and symptoms, it's easy to confuse with other conditions, including: * Gastroenteritis. Also called stomach flu, gastroenteritis usually results from a viral infection of your intestines. Signs and symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea or vomiting, as well as indigestion. Symptoms of gastroenteritis often resolve within a day or two, whereas the discomfort of gastritis may be ongoing. * Heartburn. This painful, burning sensation behind your breastbone usually occurs after a meal. It develops when stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. Heartburn can also lead to a sour taste and the sensation of partially digested food re-entering your mouth. * Stomach ulcers. If a gnawing or burning pain in your stomach is persistent and severe, you may have an ulcer. Stomach (peptic) ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of the stomach. The most prominent symptom is pain, which is frequently worse at night or when your stomach is empty. Gastritis and stomach ulcers share some of the same causes — especially H. pylori infection — and the one may be a precursor to the other. * Nonulcer dyspepsia. Commonly referred to as indigestion, nonulcer dyspepsia is a functional disorder and not necessarily related to a particular disease. The exact cause isn't known, but stress and overindulging in fried, spicy or fatty foods can aggravate or trigger the upper abdominal pain, bloating, belching and nausea that characterize the condition. Causes Your stomach — a hollow, muscular sac — sits in the upper left corner of your abdomen, just under your rib cage. The typical adult stomach is around 10 inches long and can expand to hold about 1 gallon of food and liquid. When your stomach is empty, its tissues fold in on themselves, a bit like a closed accordion. As your stomach fills and expands, the folds gradually disappear. Your stomach processes and stores food, which it gradually releases into your small intestine. When food arrives from your esophagus, a muscular ring at the joining of your esophagus and stomach (lower esophageal sphincter) relaxes to let it in. Your stomach walls, lined with layers of powerful muscles, then begin churning the food, mixing it into smaller and smaller pieces. At the same time, glands in the wall of your stomach pump out gastric juices — including enzymes and stomach acids — that help break food down further. One of these, hydrochloric acid, is so caustic that it can dissolve iron nails. Your stomach's tissues are protected from this corrosive acid by the mucous-bicarbonate barrier — a layered buffering system in which bicarbonate regulates the stomach's acid-alkaline balance, and mucous provides a thick, sticky coating for the stomach walls. Possible causes numerous Gastritis usually develops when these and other protective mechanisms are overwhelmed, damaging and inflaming your stomach lining. Some of the many factors that can contribute to or trigger gastritis include: * Bacterial infection. A majority of the world's population is infected with corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) that live deep in the mucous layer that coats the lining of your stomach. Although it's not entirely clear how the bacteria are transmitted, it's likely they spread from person to person through the oral-fecal route or are ingested in contaminated food or water. H. pylori infection frequently occurs in childhood and can last throughout life if not treated. It's now known to be the primary cause of stomach ulcers and is a leading cause of gastritis. Long-term infection with the bacteria causes a widespread inflammatory response that leads to changes in the stomach lining. One of these changes is atrophic gastritis, a condition in which the acid-producing glands are slowly destroyed. Scientists speculate that the resulting low acid levels may prevent cancer-causing toxins from being properly broken down or flushed out of your stomach, increasing your risk of stomach cancer. Yet most people with chronic H. pylori infection don't develop cancer, and many have no symptoms of gastritis, indicating that other factors may make some people more vulnerable to the bacteria. * Regular use of pain relievers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), and naproxen (Aleve) can cause stomach inflammation by reducing a substance that preserves the protective stomach lining (prostaglandin). Stomach problems are less likely to develop if you take NSAIDs only occasionally, but regular use or overuse is a common cause of both gastritis and stomach ulcers. * Excessive alcohol use. Alcohol can irritate and erode the mucous lining of your stomach, making the tissue more vulnerable to the caustic effects of normal stomach secretions. * Cocaine use. Cocaine can damage your stomach, leading to bleeding and gastritis. * Stress. Severe stress due to major surgery, traumatic injury, burns or severe infections can cause gastritis as well as ulcers and stomach bleeding. * Autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune atrophic gastritis develops when your immune system attacks healthy cells in your stomach lining. This triggers an inflammatory response that gradually thins the lining, destroys acid-producing glands and interferes with the production of intrinsic factor, a substance that helps your body absorb vitamin B-12. Lack of B-12, in turn, can lead to pernicious anemia, a serious condition that if not treated can affect nearly every body system. Autoimmune atrophic gastritis is particularly common in older adults. * Crohn's disease. Although this bowel disease usually causes chronic inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, it can sometimes inflame the stomach lining as well. Even when your stomach is affected, however, the signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease — abdominal pain and watery diarrhea — are more prominent than symptoms of gastritis are. * Radiation and chemotherapy. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can inflame your stomach lining, leading to both gastritis and stomach ulcers. When you're exposed to small amounts of radiation, the damage is often temporary, but large doses usually cause irreversible erosion of the stomach lining and destruction of acid-producing glands. * Bile reflux disease. Bile — a fluid that helps you digest fats — is produced in your liver and stored in your gallbladder. When it's released from the gallbladder, bile travels to your small intestine through a series of thin tubes. Normally, a ring-like sphincter muscle (pyloric valve) prevents bile from flowing back into your stomach from your small intestine. But if this valve doesn't work properly, bile can back up into your stomach, leading to inflammation and gastritis. * Other factors. Gastritis may be associated with other medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS, parasitic infections, some connective tissue disorders, and liver or kidney failure. Risk factors The most significant risk factor for gastritis is infection with H. pylori bacteria. In the United States, one in five people younger than 40 and half of people older than 60 are infected. The numbers are much greater in developing nations. Other factors that may put you at increased risk of gastritis include: * Regular use of aspirin or other NSAIDs. If you regularly take aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke, you're at risk of developing gastritis. The same is true if you take anti-inflammatory pain relievers for arthritis or another chronic condition. That's because long-term use of aspirin and other NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation and bleeding. * Race. In the United States, blacks, Indians and Hispanics are more likely to have gastritis associated with H. pylori infection than are people of other races. Autoimmune gastritis, on the other hand, is more common among blacks and people of Northern European descent. * Age. Adults age 60 and older