How to Recognize the Early Signs of Gastritis

Types Of Gastritis

Gastritis can be acute or chronic:

• Acute gastritis: this usually occurs suddenly and lasts for a short duration, usually between two and ten days. Acute gastritis also can be characterized as either erosive gastritis or non-erosive gastritis.
• Chronic gastritis: chronic gastritis progressed slowly from weeks to months, and it is usually defined according to the histopathology appearance of the gastric mucosa after biopsy (2).

There are 2 main types of gastritis; erosive and non-erosive gastritis

Erosive gastritis: erosive gastritis also referred to as reactive gastritis manifests as both inflammation and the erosive wearing out of the mucous layer of the stomach.

It is commonly caused by the frequent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), excessive intake of alcohol, misuse of steroids, smoking, and by pathogenic organisms such as viruses or bacteria. Stress has also been addressed as the cause of erosive gastritis.

Erosive gastritis is not very common, and in chronic or severe form, it can get complicated by ulcers and bleeding (3).

Non-erosive gastritis: this occurs when the gastric lining is inflamed without erosion (1).