Dangerous complications of gastritis

Gastric antral inflammation is not a cause for concern, but if it goes on for a long time, it can cause atrophic inflammation, leading to many complications such as stomach bleeding and cancer.

Due to its horizontal position in the stomach, the antrum is in contact with food with a large area. When the mucosa in the antrum is irritated and damaged, the risk of ulcers is higher than in other areas of the stomach such as the cardia, aneurysm or pylorus. Gastritis can occur in many people, most commonly middle-aged and over 60 years old.

Doctor, Dr. Vu Truong Khanh, Head of Gastroenterology - Hepatobiliary - Pancreatic Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, said that the damage to the gastric antrum mucosa reduces the quality of life, because the patient suffered from persistent abdominal pain. The disease also affects the ability to absorb nutrients, especially when gastritis is accompanied by HP infection or the patient regularly drinks alcohol or smokes.

If improperly controlled or not treated thoroughly, inflammation may recur, persist, or progress to complications. At this time, the patient can face the risk of dangerous complications.

Gastrointestinal bleeding : This is the most common complication. The foci of inflammation and swelling in the antrum can be eroded by gastric acid, forming ulcers. As the ulcer spreads and penetrates the stomach wall, the contraction and mixing of food can damage blood vessels, causing bleeding.

If you have stomach bleeding , patients often have abdominal pain, epigastric mounds, nausea, vomiting blood, bloody or black stools. Complications of stomach bleeding can cause patients to have acute anemia, so they need to be hospitalized early to stop bleeding.

The dull abdominal pain in patients with gastritis reduces the quality of life. Photo: Freepik

Perforation of the stomach : Sudden, severe pain, cramping in the abdomen that occurs after bleeding can be a sign of a perforated stomach ulcer .

Pyloric stenosis : This condition usually occurs when there is cancer in the antrum or the pyloric orifice. Continuous abdominal pain, vomiting blood, bad smell are typical symptoms of patients when experiencing this complication.

Stomach cancer : This is the most dangerous complication, usually occurs in the case of antral inflammation caused by Helicobacter pylori. Prolonged inflammation can progress to atrophic gastritis , intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and finally gastric cancer. According to Dr. Khanh, studies show that about 5-7% of people with atrophic gastritis for more than 10 years are likely to turn into cancer. If this complication is encountered, the patient often has signs of continuous abdominal pain, indigestion, vomiting food or blood, and a bad smell.

Gastritis has similar symptoms to gastritis in general. In the mild form, the disease does not show any specific symptoms, so it is easy to ignore. At this time, the new antral mucosa only has congestive, superficial erosions (ulcers are usually shallow and flat). In most cases, early detection of the disease is due to incidental endoscopy.

Dr. Khanh advises, when suffering from gastritis, patients should not be subjective, need to be examined and consulted for monitoring or treatment when needed as directed by the doctor. Avoid buying self-medication or reusing someone else's prescription because it can make the disease worse and difficult to control. To improve inflammation, patients can divide meals, limit foods that cause stomach irritation such as sour, spicy, fried. Avoid drinking a lot of alcohol, exercise regularly; Relieving stress is also a way to help reduce symptoms.