Why do I feel worse after taking stomach medicine?

Many patients take some stomach medicine when they feel stomach discomfort, but sometimes the stomach becomes more uncomfortable after taking the stomach medicine. In fact, this situation means that the patient does not understand his condition. Taking some stomach medicine indiscriminately does not achieve the effect of taking the right medicine. This will be counterproductive. Not only does it not cure the disease, but it also makes the disease worse. So why does taking stomach medicine make you feel more uncomfortable?

What are the clinical manifestations of chronic superficial gastritis?

The most common symptom of chronic superficial gastritis is upper abdominal pain, but some patients may not have any symptoms. The clinical manifestations are as follows:

1. Upper abdominal pain: The pain is often irregular and has nothing to do with diet. It is generally diffuse upper abdominal burning pain, dull pain, bloating, etc. A very small number of patients experience colic that radiates to the back and can be easily misdiagnosed as angina pectoris.

2. Belching: Due to lack of gastric acid, fermentation and gas production in the stomach, gas accumulates in the stomach, leading to belching.

3. Abdominal distension: Abdominal distension occurs due to food retention, delayed emptying, indigestion, and eating indigestible food.

4. Loss of appetite: Chronic superficial gastritis often causes loss of appetite or intermittent improvement or decline in appetite.

5. Nausea and vomiting: Inflammatory gastric mucosa is stimulated by chemical and biological factors, as well as gastric motility disorders and gastric retrograde peristalsis, causing nausea and vomiting.

6. Constipation and diarrhea: Most patients have constipation symptoms, while diarrhea is relatively rare.

What are the clinical manifestations of chronic superficial gastritis?

The clinical manifestations of chronic superficial gastritis lack specificity. The clinical manifestations of different patients vary. Some patients may have no symptoms and characteristics, while most patients may have dull pain in the upper abdomen, fullness after eating, loss of appetite, belching, etc. The symptoms may be mild or severe, and may recur or persist for a long time. The possible clinical manifestations of this disease are summarized below.

(1) The most common symptom is upper abdominal pain, accounting for about 85%. The upper abdominal pain in patients with chronic superficial gastritis is mostly irregular and has nothing to do with diet (some patients feel comfortable on an empty stomach but uncomfortable after meals). It is generally characterized by chronic burning pain, dull pain, and bloating in the upper abdomen. Symptoms are often aggravated by eating cold, hard, spicy or other irritating foods, and in a few cases are related to climate changes. This type of upper abdominal pain is not easily relieved by antispasmodics and antacids.

(2) Abdominal distension, accounting for 70%. It is often caused by gastric retention, delayed emptying, and indigestion.

(3) Belching. About 50% of patients experience this symptom. The gas in the stomach increases and is discharged through the esophagus, temporarily relieving upper abdominal distension.

(4) Recurrent bleeding is also a common manifestation of chronic superficial gastritis. The cause of bleeding is an acute inflammatory change of the gastric mucosa occurring on the basis of chronic superficial gastritis.

(5) Other symptoms: loss of appetite, acid reflux, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, etc.

(6) Chronic superficial gastritis lacks typical positive signs. Physical examination may reveal upper abdominal tenderness, and a few patients may have weight loss and anemia.

What are the causes of chronic superficial gastritis?

The pathogenic factors of chronic superficial gastritis have not yet been fully understood. Studies have found that almost any factor that can affect the body can cause chronic superficial gastritis. The more obvious causes include:

(1) Bacteria, viruses and toxins: They are often seen after acute gastritis. When gastric mucosal lesions do not heal for a long time or recur repeatedly, they gradually evolve into chronic superficial gastritis.

(2) Chronic infection of the nasal cavity, oral cavity, and pharynx: Chronic infection lesions in the nasal cavity, oral cavity, pharynx, etc., such as alveolar abscesses, tonsillitis, sinusitis, etc. Long-term ingestion of bacteria or their toxins can repeatedly irritate the gastric mucosa and cause chronic superficial gastritis. It has been found that 90% of patients with chronic tonsillitis have chronic inflammatory changes in the stomach.