What is Gastritis?

Gastritis means inflammation of the stomach lining. This means that the lining of your stomach becomes swollen and painful. The irritation may be caused by an infection or a chemical reaction, such as a medicine you’re taking or drinking too much alcohol. Gastritis is very common. However, gastritis is often mild and resolves without any treatment. Severe gastritis is much less common. Weaknesses or injury to the mucus-lined barrier that protects your stomach wall allows your digestive juices to damage and inflame your stomach lining. A number of diseases and conditions can increase your risk of gastritis, including Crohn’s disease and sarcoidosis, a condition in which collections of inflammatory cells grow in the body. Left untreated, gastritis may lead to stomach ulcers and stomach bleeding. Rarely, some forms of chronic gastritis may increase your risk of stomach cancer, especially if you have extensive thinning of the stomach lining and changes in the lining’s cells. Tell your doctor if your signs and symptoms aren’t improving despite treatment for gastritis.

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