Gastritis
Weakness in your stomach lining allows digestive juices to damage
and inflame it, causing gastritis. Having a thin or damaged stomach lining
raises your risk for gastritis. Also, certain conditions and activities
increase your risk for developing gastritis.
A gastrointestinal bacterial infection can cause gastritis. The
most common is infection with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that
infects the lining of the stomach. It’s usually passed from person-to-person, but
it can also be transmitted through contaminated food or water.
Other risk factors include:
- extreme alcohol consumption
- routine use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and aspirin
- cocaine use
- age, because the stomach lining thins naturally with age
Other, less common, risk factors are:
- stress caused by severe injury, illness, or surgery
- autoimmune disorders
- digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease
- viral infections
Gastritis doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms in everyone, but the
most common symptoms are:
- nausea and vomiting
- a feeling of fullness in your upper abdomen, particularly after eating
- indigestion
If you have erosive gastritis, you might experience different
symptoms, including:
- black, tarry stool
- vomiting of blood or material that looks like coffee grounds
