Gastritis without myths, or why "spring exacerbations" don't actually exist
Kyiv • UNN
Professor Oleh Shvets debunked the myth of seasonal gastritis and named the bacterium Helicobacter pylori as the main cause. The disease is treated with antibiotics.
Until recently, it was believed that gastritis worsened in spring due to stress, vitamin deficiency, or poor nutrition. However, modern medicine has long refuted these notions. Oleg Shvets, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Association of Dietitians of Ukraine, Head of the Department of Public Health and Nutrition at NUBiP of Ukraine, told a journalist from UNN more about why the exacerbation of gastritis is a myth and what the real causes of this disease are.
In fact, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori plays a key role in the development of gastritis, not seasonal factors. According to the professor, the widespread myth of "spring exacerbations" of gastritis remained in the last century. The doctor explains: the modern approach to treating this disease has fundamentally changed after the discovery of its true cause. That is why it is incorrect to talk about seasonal exacerbations today.
This was the case about 30 years ago. At that time, gastritis was treated twice a year with antacid drugs and a so-called "diet number one" was prescribed. But later, the real cause of gastritis – Helicobacter pylori infection – began to be treated. Two professors from Australia received the Nobel Prize for its discovery. Now people undergo a course of therapy and can fully recover
The doctor emphasizes that thanks to modern treatment, the number of infected people has significantly decreased. This bacterium is especially rarely found in young people. This once again confirms that gastritis is not the result of diet or vitamin deficiency.
The number of infected people has decreased by approximately two and a half times. If we talk about young people, they extremely rarely have this infection. Therefore, today the concept of "gastritis exacerbation twice a year" practically does not exist. A person either has the infection and is treated, or does not have it
The widespread belief that gastritis is caused by stress, poor nutrition, or vitamin deficiency is also untrue. According to the doctor, these factors are not the cause of the disease. The main factor in the development of gastritis remains bacterial infection.
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Stress, vitamin deficiency, or diets have nothing to do with gastritis. It is a bacterial infection that is transmitted from person to person. For example, you can get infected if you drink from the same bottle as an infected person. The bacterium is transmitted through saliva&
After the bacteria enter the body, inflammation begins in the gastric mucosa. This process is called gastritis. The mechanism of disease development is similar to any other infection.
Nothing special precedes it. A person gets infected and inflammation of the gastric mucosa begins. This is roughly the same as with the flu: there is a virus, it causes inflammation. Here, a bacterium that is able to survive in the very acidic environment of the stomach begins to multiply there
The symptoms of gastritis are also quite typical. Most often, people complain of pain in the upper abdomen and a feeling of heaviness. These manifestations usually become a reason to see a doctor.
One of the leading symptoms is pain in the upper abdomen. People often also feel heaviness. These are the first manifestations that need to be paid attention to
At the same time, gastritis can have different forms and stages, and they can only be determined with the help of gastroscopy and special laboratory tissue examination. That is why self-treatment or focusing only on symptoms can be dangerous.
There are different types of gastritis: superficial, atrophic, metaplastic, dysplastic. But this is determined morphologically, during gastroscopy and biopsy. Then the doctor can assess what stage the disease is at
The professor emphasizes: it is important to diagnose and treat gastritis in time. In some cases, prolonged inflammation of the mucous membrane can lead to dangerous cell changes. That is why modern medicine focuses on early detection of the infection.
Gastritis is potentially a precancerous condition, so it needs to be detected and treated. But it is not treated with diets, but with antibacterial therapy. When a person gets rid of the infection, they practically forget about gastritis and significantly reduce the risk of developing stomach cancer