What is Antral Gastritis? Various Types of Antral Gastritis, Causes, Symptoms & Test

Antral gastritis is a term used in medical sciences for the inflammation or swelling in the lining of the stomach’s antral area. Different factors might cause this condition, which we will learn in this post.

What do you Mean by Antral Gastritis?

The Antrum of the stomach is the lower part of your abdomen. The wall of the stomach has a protective layer on its inner side that secretes mucus. This wall keeps corrosive acid away from the stomach wall and aids in digestion. If this layer of protection becomes weak or gets damaged by swelling of gastric mucosa, it causes gastritis.

What are the Various Types of Antral Gastritis, and What Causes them?

Below are the various types of Gastritis:

1. Acute Gastritis:

It is also referred to as Haemorrhagic or Erosive antral gastritis. Under this condition, erosion occurs in the gastric mucosal because of swelling or inflammation and causes bleeding.

Here are the various causes of Acute gastritis:

• It may be induced by drug or chemical (e.g. pain killers, NSAIDs or even steroid-induced medicines
• It may be induced by corrosives (e.g. acid, alkali)
• Also, it can be induced by alcohol
• Sometimes, it is also induced by severe stress, trauma, conditions of bed-ridden etc.
• It is also likely to be induced by bile reflux or PHG (portal hypertension gastropathy)
• Viral infection can also induce acute gastritis (e.g. HSV or with gastropathy in AIDS)

2. Chronic Gastritis:

It is also referred to as non–erosive gastritis. In this case, inflammation or swelling of the gastric mucosal layer occurs without any erosion. This can again be segregated into type A gastritis and type B gastritis.

• Type A Gastritis: The type A is an autoimmune gastritis comprising the fundal glands. This particular type of gastritis leads to Achlorhydria and the non-absorption of vitamin B12.
• Type B gastritis – The type B gastritis is also termed as Chronic Helicobacter Pylori (H pylori) gastritis. Here, H Pylori is the causative agent. It is a gram negative bacteria that is present in the submucosal layer of gastric. The infection of H pylori might also give rise to peptic ulcers.

The injury mechanism of this gastritis is unclear. However, it may cause regular infection, which in turn may cause changes in chronic inflammation. Also, it may turn into absolute atrophic gastritis.

• Specific gastritis – The specific gastritis is mainly caused because of any specific illness such as tuberculosis, viral infection, and Crohn’s.

What are the Symptoms of Antral Gastritis?

The primary symptom of this illness is a sensation of burning in the upper mid portion of the abdomen or the epigastric area. Below are some more symptoms:

• You may feel pain in the upper abdomen (epigastrium)
• There may be a sensation of bloated distended in your abdomen
• Anorexia is another symptom of antral gastritis
• Some people might suffer from stomach ulcers too
• Vomiting and nausea are other symptoms
• In some extreme cases, the patient may even bleed, such as melena and hematemesis in GI ulcer

Which Tests are Suitable for Diagnoses of Antral Gastritis?

Antral Gastritis can be diagnosed by following the below tests:

• Blood tests for chronic bleeding ulcers
• For H Pylori, upper GI endoscopy plus/minus biopsy is done
• Urea breath test
• USG of abdomen etc.

What are Antral Gastritis Complications? 

If not taken care of properly, Antral Gastritis might cause likely complications such as;

• It might result in anaemia if H Pylori cause stomach ulcers with bleeding
• It might result in pernicious anaemia if autoimmune gastritis induced vitamin B12 malabsorption
• It might enhance the risk of getting gastric cancer as well

What Treatments are Available for Antral Gastritis?

The treatment of Antral Gastric has two aspects. They are;

• Changes in lifestyle and eating habits, and
• Medications

What Diet/Lifestyle is Advised for Antral Gastritis?

Below are some diet/lifestyle related suggestions to be followed if you are suffering from Antral Gastritis:

• Avoid eating hot and spicy food
• Avoid fasting for long hours
• Eat meals frequently but in small proportion
• Avoid food with gluten or lactose
• Avoid food that is fried or acidic in nature
• Do some exercises for relaxation to relieve stress
• Avoid the consumption of excess coffee or tea

What Medications are Prescribed for Antral Gastritis?

Here are some medications to cure Antral Gastritis:

• Antacids are used to counterbalance preformed acid
• Ranitidine, and Cimetidine are used to stop the production of acid
• Sucralfate is used to treat NSAID stimulated gastritis
• Doctors prescribe anti H Pylori kit containing triple drugs like PPI or amoxicillin for several cases
• In case of gastritis malabsorption, Vitamin B12 is taken

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To Conclude

The symptoms may be mild or severe depending on the exact Antral Gastritis condition. If not treated, some cases might get serious too. Even if it is mild symptoms, it is better to consult a doctor to take proper medicine and diet. This will help to diagnose any other disease in the background that needs to be checked.

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