{"id":1669,"date":"2025-10-28T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vitamed.test\/gastritis-diagnostics-and-treatment-in-armenia\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T17:57:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T13:57:05","slug":"gastritis-diagnostics-and-treatment-in-armenia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/gastritis-diagnostics-and-treatment-in-armenia\/","title":{"rendered":"Gastritic Diagnostics and Treatment in Armenia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- vitamed:content-featured-image:start --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article-content-thumbnail-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-content-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gastrit.jpg\" alt=\"GASTRITIS DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENT IN ARMENIA\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" \/><\/figure>\n<p><!-- vitamed:content-featured-image:end --><\/p>\n<h2>1. What is gastritis?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Gastritis <\/strong>is a morphologically confirmed inflammation of the gastric mucosa, characterized by infiltration with inflammatory cells, epithelial damage, and in some cases, atrophic changes.<\/p>\n<p>There are two main types:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Acute gastritis \u2013 sudden onset inflammation, often reversible;<\/li>\n<li>Chronic gastritis \u2013 a long-standing inflammatory process that may lead to atrophy and metaplasia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>2. Etiology and risk factors of gastritis<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Primary causes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) \u2014 the most common cause of chronic gastritis (according to Maastricht VI guidelines, responsible for &gt;80% of cases);<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) \u2014 disrupt the protective mucosal barrier by inhibiting prostaglandins;<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Alcohol \u2014 exerts direct toxic and irritative effects;<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Autoimmune gastritis \u2014 predominantly affects women; associated with pernicious anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, and antibodies to parietal cells and intrinsic factor;<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Physiological stress (e.g., severe trauma, burns, sepsis): stress-induced acute gastritis;<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Bile reflux (e.g., in postcholecystectomy syndrome).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Risk factors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0NSAID or glucocorticoid use without gastroprotection<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Smoking<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Poor dietary habits<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Chronic alcoholism<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Family history of gastric cancer or autoimmune disorders<\/p>\n<h2>3. Types and classification of gastritis<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Clinical-etiological classification:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Acute gastritis:<\/strong><br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Catarrhal<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Erosive (including drug-induced or alcohol-related)<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Phlegmonous (rare, bacterial)<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Necrotic<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chronic gastritis:<\/strong><br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0H. pylori-associated<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Autoimmune<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Chemically induced (e.g., bile reflux, NSAIDs)<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Idiopathic<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Atrophic gastritis \u2014 characterized by mucosal thinning, gland loss, and functional insufficiency<\/p>\n<h2>4. Clinical manifestations<\/h2>\n<p>Gastritis may be asymptomatic or present with the following complaints:<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Epigastric pain or discomfort<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Nausea, belching, early satiety<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Bloating<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Loss of appetite<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0In some cases \u2014 hematemesis (in erosive forms), melena<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0In autoimmune gastritis \u2014 signs of B12-deficiency anemia: fatigue, paresthesia, glossitis<\/p>\n<h2>5. Diagnosis of gastritis<\/h2>\n<p>1.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) \u2014 gold standard for diagnosis; allows direct visualization of mucosa and biopsy sampling<br \/>\n2.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Histological examination (using OLGA\/OLGIM classifications) \u2014 confirms inflammation, atrophy, or intestinal metaplasia<br \/>\n3.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0H. pylori testing:<br \/>\nUrea breath test (\u00b9\u00b3C or \u00b9\u2074C) \u2014 most sensitive non-invasive method<br \/>\nStool antigen test (ELISA)<br \/>\nSerology (IgG) \u2014 less specific, not suitable for confirming eradication<br \/>\nRapid urease test on biopsy specimen<br \/>\nPCR for H. pylori in biopsy samples<br \/>\n4.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0CBC, vitamin B12, iron, ferritin \u2014 if autoimmune gastritis is suspected<br \/>\n5.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0pH-metry and Schilling test \u2014 in specific clinical situations<\/p>\n<h2>6. Modern approaches to treatment<\/h2>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0H. pylori eradication therapy (according to Maastricht VI)<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Diet avoiding irritant foods (fried, spicy, alcohol, coffee, etc.)<\/p>\n<h2>7. Complications and prevention<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Complications:<\/strong><br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Gastrointestinal bleeding<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Pernicious anemia<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Mucosal dysplasia and gastric cancer (especially in H. pylori infection with atrophy)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prevention:<\/strong><br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Eradication of H. pylori when infection is confirmed<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Avoiding long-term NSAID use without protective therapy<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Healthy diet, alcohol and smoking cessation<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Endoscopic surveillance in patients with atrophy or intestinal metaplasia<\/p>\n<h2>8. Gastritis and pregnancy<\/h2>\n<p>During pregnancy, gastritis may worsen due to:<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Hormonal changes (elevated progesterone slows gastrointestinal motility)<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Organ displacement caused by the growing uterus<\/p>\n<h2>9. When to see a doctor<\/h2>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Persistent or severe epigastric pain<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Nausea and vomiting, especially with blood<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Weight loss, anemia<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0History of gastritis and planning pregnancy<br \/>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Family history of gastric cancer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gastritis is a morphologically confirmed inflammation of the gastric mucosa, characterized by infiltration with inflammatory cells, epithelial damage, and in some cases, atrophic changes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1669"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6566,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions\/6566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}