What medicine is taken for gastritis and reflux esophagitis?

Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 25, 2024
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Gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux disease are relatively common in clinical settings. Generally, medications that reduce acid production, protect the mucous membrane, and improve gastrointestinal motility can be chosen for treatment. Of course, dietary advice includes consuming clean, easily digestible foods, cultivating good living and eating habits, and avoiding overeating and binge drinking. Gastritis is more commonly seen clinically, with most patients exhibiting symptoms of abdominal pain and bloating. Esophagitis primarily presents with nausea, belching, and burning pain, leading most patients to seek treatment from a gastroenterologist. The fastest diagnosis primarily relies on gastroscopy, which can reveal congestion and edema of the esophageal and gastric mucosa, and even the formation of erosion and ulcers, ruling out diagnoses like esophageal or gastric cancer. Therefore, the treatment of gastritis and esophagitis mainly relies on medications, which are selected after a complete gastroscopy. The typical course of treatment is about four weeks. If symptoms can be controlled, the dosage can be gradually reduced to maintain the minimal effective amount. (The use of medications should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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How to treat reflux esophagitis?

Reflux esophagitis can be diagnosed when an endoscopy reveals damage to the gastric mucosa. Its main symptoms include upper abdominal pain, chest pain, belching, acid reflux, nausea, and vomiting. Treatment primarily involves acid suppression, promoting gastric motility, and protecting the mucosa. Since reflux esophagitis is greatly related to poor gastric motility, in addition to pharmacological treatments, increasing physical activity is also necessary because exercise can enhance gastrointestinal motility and strengthen gastric dynamics, playing a crucial role in the treatment and symptom relief of reflux esophagitis. Furthermore, the diet should be light and easy to digest, avoiding spicy, stimulating, fried, grilled, cold, and sweet foods.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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Does reflux esophagitis cause mucus in stool?

The symptoms of reflux esophagitis mainly manifest as chest pain, acid reflux, as well as upper abdominal bloating, belching, nausea and vomiting, etc. Generally, it does not involve the occurrence of mucus in stools. If mucus in stools occurs, we consider two diseases. The first one is chronic colitis, which can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea, and sometimes mucus in stools. The other is ulcerative colitis, whose main symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea, and stools with mucus and pus blood. A colonoscopy can be conducted to determine which specific disease is present, and then targeted treatment can be administered based on the results of the colonoscopy.

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Written by Wang Hui Jie
Gastroenterology
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Can reflux esophagitis be cured?

Reflux esophagitis can be cured, however, the recurrence rate of reflux esophagitis is more than 80%, and generally requires maintenance treatment. The treatment principles are acid suppression, enhancing the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter, and protection of the mucosa. Next, let's specifically introduce non-drug treatments. Dietary therapy is very important, mainly involving reasonable dietary intake and good eating habits, which play a significant role in prevention. Another is positional therapy, mainly avoiding lying down immediately after meals, as well as quitting smoking and alcohol, reducing negative pressure, and taking some related medications or undergoing surgical procedures, etc. Generally, a combination of treatments is used to improve efficacy, and the treatment course should not be less than three months.

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Written by Wang Hui Jie
Gastroenterology
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Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease

The symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux esophagitis are quite typical and include a range of symptoms. The most typical symptom is heartburn, primarily referring to a burning discomfort or pain felt behind the sternum or beneath the xiphoid process, usually occurring about an hour after eating, often accompanied by nausea. Another common symptom is acid regurgitation, which tends to occur more frequently on an empty stomach. Additional symptoms include chest pain, mainly due to the irritation of the esophageal mucosa by refluxed digestive juices, causing esophageal spasm and resultant pain. Difficulty swallowing is also a common symptom, initially mainly due to stress-induced spasms leading to swallowing difficulties. In later stages, it is often due to the proliferation of fibrous tissue forming scars that cause esophageal narrowing, resulting in swallowing difficulties. Other common symptoms include bloating, pharyngitis, cough, asthma, and more.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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Is reflux esophagitis serious?

Reflux esophagitis can be observed during an endoscopy as changes in the esophageal mucosa, including hyperemia, edema, erosion, and ulcers. The severity is graded based on the size of the erosion and ulcers, with smaller areas indicating milder conditions and larger areas indicating more severe conditions. An endoscopy can definitively diagnose reflux esophagitis, whose main symptoms include upper abdominal pain, chest pain, belching, acid reflux, nausea, and vomiting. The treatment primarily involves acid suppression, protection of the stomach lining, and promoting gastric motility, with a treatment duration of about six to eight weeks. Dietary considerations include avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol, not consuming strong tea or coffee, and avoiding spicy, stimulating, fried, and barbecued foods that are difficult to digest.