The 5 differences between gastritis and gastroenteritis

Let's see how to distinguish between gastritis and gastroenteritis, disorders associated with stomach pain.

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines this concept as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. From a medical point of view, it corresponds to a series of neurophysiological variations in our organism and increased activity in the adrenal glands, pituitary glands, pancreas and other structures.

For its part, stomach pain (or rather, abdominal pain) is a sensation that we have all experienced at some point in our lives, as the digestive system is an open digestive system.The digestive system is open and therefore relatively exposed to mechanical stressors (such as swallowing an object), intoxications and invasions by pathogens (amoebas, helminths, viruses, bacteria, etc.). Thus, it is estimated that abdominal pain accounts for almost 6% of all emergency room visits.

Interestingly, more than 30% of cases of abdominal or stomach pain are classified as "non-specific" (NSAP), i.e., they do not have a specific cause. On the other hand, others are due to renal colic, gastritis, gastroenteritis, ulcers, somatizations of psychological disorders, cancers and many other things.

Based on all these premises, today we help you to get to know your body and sensations a little better: here are the differences between gastritis and gastroenteritis.

What are the main differences between gastroenteritis and gastritis?

In general, both terms are often used interchangeably. When a person consumes spoiled food and develops acute diarrhea, fever and tremors, he/she will tell the doctor that he/she suspects gastritis or gastroenteritis, although in reality both entities are different. Below, we will explain their differences.

1. Gastritis occurs in the stomach, but gastroenteritis spreads to the intestine.

It may sound obvious, but the main difference between the two conditions lies in the name itself. As the term implies gastritis refers to acute or chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa.. There is no doubt, therefore, that this clinical entity is confined to the stomach environment.

On the other hand, gastroenteritis refers to acute or chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, gastroenteritis refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which encompasses the stomach.which encompasses the stomach (gastro) and small intestine (entero). Although this distinction may seem very subtle, in the following lines you will see that the symptomatology varies notably from one picture to another.

2. The infectious agents that cause gastritis and gastroenteritis are quite different

The stomach has a pH of 1.0 to 3.0, while in the small intestine, this value increases to a range of 5.0 to 7.0. In such an acidic environment as the gastric cavity, compatibility with life is practically impossible. Only pathogenic bacteria can withstand such inclement conditions: Helicobacter pylori..

It is estimated that ⅔ of the population are infected by this bacterium, which, with its spiral shape and flagellum, is able to drill into the gastric mucosa and slowly but steadily damage the stomach epithelium. For this reason, this microorganism has been associated with various gastric pathologies.

70% of H. pylori infections H. pylori infections are asymptomatic, but the remaining 30% of affected individuals develop symptoms of gastritis, which in turn can be accompanied by peptic ulcers and even stomach cancer.which in turn can be accompanied by peptic ulcers and even stomach cancer. Without going any further, it is estimated that people with this bacterium in their stomach are twice as likely to develop an ulcer during their lifetime, compared to those who do not have it.

On the other hand, the intestine is a much "friendlier" environment, and living proof of this are the multitude of bacterial species that make up our intestinal microbiota. Bacteria of the Campylobacter genus and viruses such as noroviruses and rotaviruses are capable of invading this sector of the digestive tract and causing the signology.

3. The symptoms of both entities are very different

The most common symptom of gastritis is pain or burning (indigestion) in the upper abdomen.specifically in an area known as the "epigastrium". Because the pain is confined to the stomach environment, other common symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, a feeling of fullness before finishing a meal, weight loss and other clinical events.

On the other hand, the flagship symptom of gastroenteritis is diarrhea. Under normal conditions, the absorption of nutrients and liquids in the intestine (99% of the water that enters) is much greater than the secretion, hence the stool is usually compact, hard and relatively dry.

To give you an idea, 9 liters of water enter the intestine every day, but only 100 milliliters are expelled with the stool. Unfortunately, when pathogens damage the intestinal mucosa, this balance is lost..

If there are changes in the bidirectional intestinal tissue-intestinal light balance (if there is a higher rate of absorption or secretion), the volume of liquid reaching the colon exceeds its absorptive capacity and diarrhea occurs, as we all know. This may present with blood, mucus and even purulent substances, depending on the underlying disease that is causing the condition.

4. Different epidemiological patterns

Depending on where we put the focus of attention, it can be stipulated that gastritis is more common than gastroenteritis or vice versa. It is estimated that 25% of the world's population has symptoms of gastritis at any given time and 90% of the cases are caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori. We recall that this bacterium is installed in the stomach of ⅔ of the population (much more if we look at certain regions), hence gastritis is so common.

In any case, gastroenteritis pictures do not fall short. Intestinal diarrheal diseases (caused by bacteria, amoebae and viruses) are the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age, especially in low-income countries where the health infrastructure is conspicuous by its absence. Every year, 1.7 billion cases of diarrheal diseases are diagnosed in infants, 525,000 of which result in death.

5. Complications are different in each case

In general, Gastritis is generally regarded as a less serious clinical entity, as its impact is more noticeable in high-income countries.. If left untreated, gastritis can lead to bleeding and stomach ulcers, but the onset of these consequences is slow and is not usually reached. In addition, in the most severe spectra (peptic ulcer), there are also surgical and Antibiotic treatments that successfully reverse the situation.

Again, gastroenteritis derived from viral agents or amoebae report a much worse prognosis, more so for the places where they are more common.This is due more to the places where they are more prevalent than to their pathogenesis per se. For example, persistent diarrhea (more than 14 days) without proper medical attention can develop into severe dehydration.

This borderline situation presents in the patient with sunken eyes, lethargy and loss of consciousness, dizziness and lightheadedness, constipation, dry skin and other general signs. Severe dehydration resulting in a loss of 10% of the patient's body weight usually results in death, unless there is admission and administration of intravenous fluids, which also aims to restore the electrolyte balance lost during diarrhea.

Summary

After this extensive review of both clinical entities, it is more than clear to us that gastritis and gastroenteritis are not the same nor can they be used as interchangeable terms.

Gastritis usually manifests with abdominal discomfort in the pit of the stomach (epigastrium), while gastroenteritis is localized "lower down" (at the intestinal level), with clear symptoms such as watery diarrhea and fever (in case the infection is viral).

The main cause of gastritis is the bacterium Helicobacter pylorithe only microorganism that has adapted to live in our gastric environment. On the other hand, gastroenteritis is usually caused by amoebae, viruses, bacteria and even more complex parasites, such as various helminths (ascaris and tapeworms, for example). In addition, although gastritis is more common in general, gastroenteritis has a worse prognosis because it is typical of low-income regions with poor sanitary conditions.