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

A summary of the most common stomach diseases, classified and described.

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

In addition, many of the compounds we need for life (macro- and micronutrients) cannot be synthesized 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 initiate the breakdown process. After the food has been crushed and mixed with oral fluids, the resulting product (food bolus) travels through the esophagus, through a series of peristaltic movements and some voluntary actions.

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

However, this delicate process can be disrupted if the physiology of the stomach suffers an imbalance. Here are the most common the most common stomach diseases and their particularities.

What are the most common stomach diseases?

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

Indigestion and heartburn are some of the most common gastric problems in society, but these do not usually result in a serious clinical entity. However, the U.S. National Library of Medicine tells us that Blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, heartburn that does not improve with medication, unintentional weight loss or persistent diarrhea are always cause for a visit to the emergency room.

Most stomach diseases manifest themselves with similar clinical signs and symptoms, but each has its own particularities and distinguishing features.but each of them has its particularities and differential features. Here are the most common and medically relevant ones.

Gastritis

Gastritis is a general term that encompasses several 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 abdomen), nausea, vomiting and a feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen after eating food. All these signs are due to the action of gastric juices, which affect the digestive tissue when the mucosal barriers are not at their best.

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 usual causes of gastritis. Don't 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: chronic gastritis leading to irreversible atrophy. The patient presents 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 stomach acidity values.

2. Peptic ulcer

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

However, the likelihood of developing this lesion in people infected with H. pylori 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, black stools (due to blood, which has been partially digested), chest pain, fatigue and weight loss, among other signs.

3. Functional (non-ulcer) dyspepsia

Dyspepsia is a term that refers to discomfort or pain that occurs in the upper abdomen (epigastrium)..

Among the most common symptoms of dyspepsia are pain, burning, sensation of premature fullness, fullness, meteorism, diarrhea and nausea. However, on this occasion the symptomology has no 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, some 11,800 people die each year in this region as a result of this malignant neoplasm, because it is detected too late or the tumor progresses too rapidly.

Unfortunately, stomach cancer is not usually diagnosed in its early stages, as it does not generate specific symptoms. Moreover, when symptoms do 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 a sensation that food remains in the stomach. and a feeling that food is stuck somewhere.

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

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 likelihood of developing this malignancy over time.. In many cases, cancer can be avoided (or the risk of occurrence 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 movement of the digested food bolus to the next portions of the digestive tract. On the other hand, in a case of gastroparesis, the stomach does not empty properly due to the lack of gastric contractions..

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

Summary

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, intestinal cancer or enteric infections) are pathologies that are confined to the large or small intestine and are therefore not considered stomachic 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, urge to vomit or brownish blood in the stool. On the other hand, intestinal diseases are much more characterized by the occurrence of copious diarrhea and the presence of bright diarrhea in the stool.