The 5 most common stomach diseases: types, causes and symptoms

The digestive system is essential for the life of vertebrates (and any minimally complex living being at the physiological level). We are heterotrophic living entities and, therefore, we need to eat food to obtain the necessary energy for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis.

In addition, many of the compounds that we need for life (macro and micronutrients) are not synthesizable through metabolism, so we must obtain them entirely from what we eat.

Digestion begins as soon as the food enters our mouth, as the saliva itself and the oral bacterial microbiota secrete compounds that allow the disintegration process to begin. After the food has been crushed and mixed with the oral fluids, the resulting product (bolus alimentary) travels through the esophagus, through a series of peristaltic movements and some actions voluntary.

After this first contact with the body, the food reaches the stomach, where much of the digestive "magic" is produced. Enzymes such as lipases, peptidases, and carbohydrases are responsible for splitting macronutrients into assimilable metabolites that cross the stomach barrier.

In any case, all this delicate process can be upset if the physiology of the stomach suffers some imbalance. Here we introduce you the most common stomach diseases and its peculiarities.

• Related article: "Digestive system: anatomy, parts and functioning"

What are the most common stomach diseases?

The stomach is an essential organ for digestion that is located between the esophagus and the small intestine. Protein digestion begins in it, whose basic units (amino acids) are the building material of all living tissues. This organ has three main functions: to store food, mix it with gastric acids and enzymes, and deliver the mixture to the small intestine.

Indigestion and heartburn are some of the most common gastric problems in society, but these do not usually lead to a serious clinical entity. In any case, the National Library of Medicine of the United States indicates that the presence of blood in the stool, abdominal pain severe heartburn that does not improve with drugs, unintentional weight loss, or persistent diarrhea are always reasons for a visit to emergencies.

Most stomach diseases present with similar clinical signs and symptoms., but each one of them has its peculiarities and differential features. Here are the most common and medically relevant ones.

1. Gastritis

Gastritis is a general term that encompasses various diseases, all with one thing in common: inflammation of the stomach lining. Some of its symptoms are indigestion (burning and heartburn located in the upper part of the abdomen), nausea, vomiting and a feeling of fullness in the upper abdominal part after ingesting food. All these signs are due to the action of gastric juices, which affect the digestive tissue when the mucous barriers are not in their best state.

According to epidemiological studies, gastritis affects 25% of the world's population, making it one of the most common stomach conditions. Here are some of the common causes of gastritis. Do not miss it:

• Helicobacter pylori infection: This bacterium is found in the stomach of more than ⅔ of the world's population, but more than 70% of infections are asymptomatic. In any case, it has been shown that this bacterium damages the mucous membranes and favors the appearance of ulcers.
• Autoimmune diseases: a chronic gastritis that leads to irreversible atrophy. The patient has circulating antibodies in the blood that attack gastric cells.
• Other microorganisms, such as Mycobacterium avium intracellulare, Herpes simplex and Cytomegalovirus, among others.
• Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and other conditions that promote an imbalance in heartburn values.

2. Peptic ulcer

A peptic ulcer is defined as an open sore or raw area on the lining of the stomach or intestine. Drinking too much alcohol, constant use of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), smoking, radiation treatments, or stress can all promote a peptic ulcer. It is estimated that the probabilities of experiencing this entity throughout life in the general population range from 5 to 10%.

In any case, the chances of developing this lesion in people infected with H. pylori they increase up to 20%, due to the damage that these bacteria cause on the cells of the intestinal epithelium. Ulcers are evidenced by symptoms such as abdominal pain (more evident at night), nausea, vomiting, bowel movements black (from blood, which has been partially digested), chest pain, fatigue and weight loss, among other signs.

• You may be interested in: "Types of ulcer: characteristics, causes and dangers they pose"

3. Functional dyspepsia (non-ulcer)

Dyspepsia is a term that refers to aches or pains that occur in the upper abdomen (epigastrium).

The most common symptoms of dyspepsia include pain, burning, early fullness, fullness, bloating, diarrhea, and nausea. In any case, on this occasion the symptoms did not have an apparent medical cause.

Dyspepsia affects one in 5 people in the world (20%). Of all patients, only 40% of them seek help in primary care. Even so, up to 70% of people who go to the doctor with dyspepsia leave the center without a diagnosis.

4. Stomach cancer

In the United States alone, 26,560 cases of stomach cancer are diagnosed each year, with a clear bias towards the male gender (16,160 and 10,400, respectively). In addition, about 11,800 people die in this region each year from this malignancy, because it is detected too late or the tumor progresses too quickly.

Unfortunately, stomach cancer is not usually diagnosed in the early stages, as it does not cause specific symptoms. In addition, when these occur they are usually general, ambiguous and easily confused with other less serious entities.

A patient with stomach cancer will experience indigestion, heartburn, a feeling of fullness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, or constipation. and feeling that food is stuck at some point.

As you can see, almost all of these signs and symptoms are similar to those of gastritis or functional dyspepsia. In any case, the most common sign that sets off the alarms is a hemorrhage, present with a blackish color in the stool and more normal in the vomit. This is the most illuminating symptom in 50% of stomach cancer cases.

At this point, it should be noted that stomach cancer has many clear controllable triggers. For example, obesity and smoking have been shown to dramatically increase the chances of developing this malignancy over time. In many cases, cancer can be prevented (or the risk of developing it minimized) by leading a healthy lifestyle.

5. Gastroparesis or gastroparesis

Gastroparesis, also known as gastroparesis, is a clinical entity that affects the motility of the stomach (caused by natural involuntary contractions). In a normal situation, muscle contractions cause the digested bolus to move to the next portions of the digestive system. On the other hand, in gastroparesis, the stomach does not empty properly due to lack of gastric contractions.

In any case, it should be noted that gastroparesis is an exceptional clinical entity, as there are 14 cases for less than every 100,000 people. The causes of this disease are not yet fully known, but in many cases damage to the nerve that controls the stomach (vagus) muscles is suspected.

Resume

These clinical entities may seem few to you, but we emphasize that we have only investigated those diseases that involve the stomach. Many others (such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, bowel cancer, or enteric infections) are pathologies that are confined to the large or small intestine and, therefore, are not considered stomach per se.

In general, a gastric pathology manifests itself with pain in the upper part of the stomach (epigastrium), with symptoms such as constant fullness, nausea, the urge to vomit, or brownish blood in feces. On the other hand, intestinal diseases are characterized much more by the appearance of copious diarrhea and the presence of bright diarrhea in the stools.