Is Gastritis Causing Your Indigestion?
Symptoms of gastritis are indigestion (burning pain in upper abdomen or "pit" of the stomach), nausea or vomiting, pain in the upper abdomen.
Common indigestion symptoms and signs include:
Consult your healthcare professional if there are changes in your symptoms, or indigestion symptoms continue or worsen, or if they are accompanied by unintentional weight loss, blood in stool, difficulty in swallowing, or inability to eat due to poor appetite.
Visit your health-care professional for regular health check-ups. Some testing performed to diagnose the cause of your indigestion may be repeated in the future to gauge the response to treatment.
Stress and anxiety can affect the body and can aggravate symptoms of indigestion. The physiological stress due to anxiety and stress also affect indigestion. Because indigestion can be caused by anxiety, lifestyle and diet, or another medical condition, it may be difficult to know what is causing it.
Contact a doctor to find out if anxiety is causing your indigestion, and to help you manage your anxiety if it is aggravating indigestion symptoms.
Disease or conditions that may cause indigestion to include:
Medications that may cause indigestion to include:
Lifestyle factors that may cause indigestion to include:
Indigestion symptoms are signs of other medical conditions or problems.
If indigestion symptoms are mild or resolve in a short time, talk to your doctor about how to treat it.
If you have any of the following symptoms of severe indigestion, if your symptoms last more than a few days, or if they worsen noticeably, seek medical care immediately:
Heart attacks may cause symptoms often are mistaken for indigestion. If indigestion is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, chest pain, or pain radiating to the jaw, back, neck or arm, seek medical attention immediately.
You might first see your primary care doctor (general or family practitioner) who will diagnose your indigestion. You may be referred to a gastroenterologist, a specialist in disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
If you have a problem that requires surgery such as a severe ulcer or gallstones you may be referred to a general surgeon.
In addition to a physical exam and questions about your symptoms, a doctor may perform the following tests:
Indigestion is a symptom of other conditions, so treatment usually depends upon the cause. When the cause is lifestyle-related, prevention is the best way to find relief of symptoms.
Some over-the-counter medications may help relieve indigestion pain include:
Other indigestion remedies to alleviate symptoms include:
If indigestion is caused by excessive stomach acid, ulcers, GERD, esophagitis, or gastritis, a doctor may prescribe potent acid blockers such as:
Some of the above medications are available in over-the-counter (OTC) strengths.
A combination of antibiotics and acid blockers may be prescribed for up to several months if the underlying cause is related to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).
If the underlying cause is found to be gastroparesis, pro-motility drugs such as metoclopramide (Reglan) may be prescribed.
If the underlying cause of indigestion is found to be related to depression or anxiety, antidepressants may be prescribed for a short time.
If the underlying cause is found to be a medication you are currently taking, do not abruptly stop the medication. Work with your health-care professional to find alternatives that will not worsen your indigestion.
It the underlying cause is caused entirely or partially by lifestyle, medications listed above may help reduce symptoms, but changes in lifestyle (for example, eating a healthy diet, reducing stress, and quitting smoking) will produce the best results (see prevention section below).
Most episodes of indigestion go away within hours without medical attention. If indigestion symptoms worsen, consult a health-care professional.
Indigestion caused by lifestyle habits can often be prevented.
Because indigestion is a symptom and not a cause, the outlook depends upon resolving the underlying cause.
If indigestion is caused by lifestyle habits, the prognosis is good. Prevention of the lifestyle cause can often resolve the symptoms and cure your indigestion.
If indigestion is caused by medications, talk to your health-care professional about changing medications to ones that do not cause indigestion. Never stop taking a medication without the advice of your doctor.
If indigestion is caused by a disease or medical condition, the prognosis is varied and dependent upon the resolution of that condition. Some conditions such as ulcers, GERD, and gastritis respond readily to medications. Conditions such as food poisoning or pregnancy are self-limited and symptoms should decrease over time. Hernias and gallstones, for example, usually require surgery, and the associated indigestion should resolve post-operatively.
Other conditions are difficult to treat or do not respond well to medication such as pancreatitis, gastroparesis, depression, and cancer. Treatment of these conditions may involve several methods including lifestyle changes, medications, specialist care and/or surgery.
Symptoms of gastritis are indigestion (burning pain in upper abdomen or "pit" of the stomach), nausea or vomiting, pain in the upper abdomen.
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