The holidays and summer taste like sunshine, beaches, barbecues, and a hint of excess. The overage we end up paying. Gastritis is one of them, one of the most common illnesses of summer and one of the diseases that generates the most medical inquiries between June and September.
It’s not a legacy of summer, of course, but there are new behaviors or changes that cause increasing discomfort that, sometimes, we can manage for the rest of the year.In fact, it is one of the most common conditions worldwide, as it is estimated that as many as 25% of the population suffers from this disease. However, there are also many myths surrounding it, related to the phenomena that help increase it or remedies that prevent it, which we will find have little or no truth.
To be sure, we are talking about Diseases caused by multiple factors, but there are some elements that can trigger it more easily. On the other hand, there are factors that may exacerbate the condition but are not themselves causative factors. Sometimes that means understanding gastritis isn’t that simple, and overlapping causes end up occurring. Especially when we verify that certain symptoms are consistent with other gastrointestinal pathologies.
so, Let’s take a look at what gastritis is, how we deal with it—or avoid it—and whether there’s more to summer than we think.For the latter, as spoilerwe clarify that yes, although this depends on our actions and practices.
What is gastritis
Simply put, gastritis is a disease that occurs due to gastrointestinal diseases. Inflammation of the mucous membrane covering the lining of the stomach. What happens is that the stomach lining, which has two main functions, becomes irritated, inflamed and damaged. One of its tasks is to produce gastric juices that are involved in digestion, but also to be a bulletproof vest for these acids (which are very aggressive) and to protect the stomach from these gastric juices.
When it becomes irritated and inflamed, discomfort occurs. However, the reality of gastritis comes from two aspects. On the one hand, its duration or chronological order. In this way, we found that there are acute gastritis and chronic gastritis, but there is another way according to its severity.
as they explain MSD Brochure, erosive gastritis and non-erosive gastritis. Logically, the first case is more serious, in addition to inflammation, it also wears the gastric mucosa, especially due to certain habits.
causes of gastritis
Therefore, it is important to know and understand why gastritis occurs. When is it corrosive and when is it not?, although the reasons may vary. In fact, gastritis, regardless of its severity, usually has two main causes.
- Bacterial infections Helicobacter pylori, This weakens the stomach lining and increases inflammation. In fact, gastritis is responsible for 60 to 70 percent of chronic gastritis in people over 40, according to data from the University Clinic of Navarra.
- Overdose of NSAIDs (called NSAIDs), which can irritate the stomach lining if you take too much. Examples of NSAIDs are ibuprofen, naproxen, dexketoprofen, and acetylsalicylic acid (the popular aspirin).
In addition to what you usually imagine, gastritis also May be caused by other bacterial infections (although its frequency is very low) or viral, which is equally rare as it usually only occurs in immunosuppressed patients and does not occur easily.
There is more consensus that stress or alcohol consumption can also have an impact. Among all these, The presentation of gastritis is usually the same, although it may be a silent disease.. If symptoms occur, they can range from pain and discomfort to nausea (including vomiting), indigestion, abdominal swelling, or, in the case of severe complications, bleeding or ulceration.
The misunderstanding behind gastritis
Diet alone will not cause gastritis. Just like certain foods or home remedies do nothing to relieve it.The first thing to understand is that gastritis is not an infection, but it can be a product of an infection, e.g. Helicobacter pylori——.Also understand No food can act as a trigger; For example, citrus fruits or spicy foods. Contrary to what can happen with heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux, we already told you in Target.
If we drink more water, it won’t help treat gastritis, so don’t think you’re “putting out a fire.” It is also logical to know that neither smoking nor drinking alcohol has any benefits for gastritis.Why are there some reasons Customs is more relaxed in summer They can harm our stomachs without us even realizing it. Furthermore, it is also clear that gastritis cannot be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
As we explained above, they can be triggers, and not in vain.In this case, steps that can be taken (always following medical advice) are Certain painkillers, such as paracetamolas shown on the blog of the Official College of Pharmacists of Madrid.
How to fight gastritis
First determine the type of gastritis and understand that if it is bacterial gastritis, it must be treated with antibiotics.if Helicobacter pylori in our lives. from there, certain treatments, such as antacids or gastroprotectants — so-called proton pump inhibitors — that work very well.
Again, always follow medical advice, even if We can find antacids for free. By gastroprotectants we mean the entire “prazole” family, such as omeprazole, pantoprazole or esomeprazole.
In addition, our living habits will also affect it. Smoking less, stressing less, and drinking less alcohol can help you say goodbye to gastritis.Also avoid Food that is too large, greasy, or overheated. Similar practices include improving your diet to include more fruits, vegetables or potatoes (always cooked or steamed); COFM also reminds us, in addition to avoiding sweetened or carbonated drinks and other stimulants such as coffee or tea.