Chronic gastritis is caused by the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori. This is a bacterium that every single human in the world has in their stomachs and while most people do not experience any kind of symptoms, however, in the case of chronic gastritis, the bacteria cause the stomach to destroy its own mucus lining.
Chronic gastritis manifests in symptoms like a feeling of fullness, dull pain, and occasional indigestion. It can get worse depending on the exact location of the bacteria in the stomach. The bacteria can be destroyed by the acids of the stomach and therefore move to the stomach walls where they bore into the mucous membrane and remain as far away from the stomach acids as possible. Mucus is continuously secreted in the stomach and the bacterial colonies eventually end up closer to a region of the stomach called the lumen. Due to the increased PH levels from the acid, the bacteria swim further inward and back to the safe zone. Over the course of time, the bacteria reach the epithelial layer of the stomach and infect the walls of the stomach. Gastritis causes more stomach acid and pepsin to be secreted and this causes ulcers in further areas of the stomach and the duodenum. Sometimes, the bacteria move towards areas that are not within reach of the stomach acids like the esophageal sphincter. An infection here can then cause reflux and indigestion because the stomach acids start to attack the esophagus.
Gastritis treatment requires a regimen of antibiotics to rid the stomach of the bacteria along with acid inhibitors. This treatment may or may not be completely effective as the bacteria can resurface. A part of the problem is the lack of understanding of how this bacterium spreads among the human population. The theories that are currently in use are oral transmission from person to person and fecal-oral transmission through infected water or food sources. To recover from this disease, it is important to keep stomach acids at a low level so as not to drive the bacteria into the stomach walls; therefore, eating in smaller regular intervals, keeping a low stress level, and avoiding alcohol and smoking is also important. It is also important that you take medication that does not increase the acidity of your stomach. Acetaminophren is one of the drugs that are often prescribed by doctors to control this problem. Gastritis, especially chronic gastritis, should not be ignored as it can cause severe complications.