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Gastritis is when the lining of your stomach becomes irritated (inflamed). It can cause pain, indigestion and feeling sick. Treatments include antacids, alginates and antibiotics.
Symptoms of gastritis include:
Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
Bring any medicines you take with you.
You have symptoms of gastritis and:
These can be serious, so they need to be checked quickly.
You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
Causes of gastritis include:
Gastritis can also be caused by a problem with your immune system where it attacks the lining of your stomach.
To find out what's causing gastritis symptoms, your doctor might arrange tests such as:
You should be told how to get ready for a breath test around 4 weeks before it happens.
Treatment for gastritis depends on what's causing it.
You might need:
If it's not treated, gastritis may get worse and cause a stomach ulcer.
If gastritis is not getting better, or it's causing severe symptoms, a GP might refer you to a specialist stomach doctor (gastroenterologist). They might do a test to look inside your stomach, called a gastroscopy.
If gastritis is causing mild indigestion symptoms, there are things you can do to help.
reduce the amount of drinks you have that contain caffeine, such as tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks
lie on an extra pillow in bed so your head and shoulders are higher, to help stop stomach acid rising up your throat while you sleep
lose weight if you're overweight
talk to your doctor if you regularly take anti-inflammatory painkillers (such as ibuprofen) or aspirin
do not eat 3 to 4 hours before going to bed
do not have food or drink that's acidic (such as orange juice), fizzy, spicy or fatty
do not drink alcohol
do not smoke
A pharmacist can recommend:
Some indigestion medicines are taken after eating, and some are taken before eating. Check the information leaflet that comes with the medicine.
