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Digestive Condition

Gastritis
Stomach Inflammation, What Causes It, and What Heals It

Gastritis is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in gastroenterology in India, and also one of the most poorly managed. Taking antacids or proton pump inhibitors manages the acid component of symptoms, but it doesn't address what's causing the inflammation. If you've been on antacids for months or years and still have gastritis symptoms, the root cause has almost certainly not been addressed. Understanding what type of gastritis you have is the first step toward actually treating it.

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Dr. Chhavi Bansal Gastritis Treatment
Dr. Chhavi Bansal
Homeopathic Physician · HomeoSure
★★★★★ 4.9 · 200+ Reviews
Quick Answer

Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach's mucosal lining. The most common cause in India is H. pylori infection, a bacterial infection affecting more than 50 percent of the Indian population. Other causes include NSAID use (aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac), alcohol, stress (in critically ill patients, acute stress gastritis), and autoimmune gastritis (where the immune system attacks stomach lining cells). H. pylori gastritis and NSAID gastritis require specific treatment addressing the cause. Acid suppression alone doesn't cure either, and long-term PPI use carries its own risks.

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Most gastritis in India is H. pylori gastritis. Treating it with antacids alone is treating the symptom, not the cause. Book a consultation with Dr. Chhavi Bansal today.

Types of Gastritis

Not all gastritis is the same, and the type determines the treatment. Acute gastritis comes on suddenly and is usually caused by an acute infection, NSAID use, heavy alcohol, or severe physiological stress. It typically resolves when the cause is removed. Chronic gastritis is long-standing inflammation, often with progressive mucosal changes.

The three main chronic types: Type B (H. pylori) is the most common worldwide and in India, affecting the antrum (lower stomach). Type A (autoimmune) is less common and affects the body of the stomach, destroying parietal cells. Type C (chemical/reactive) is caused by NSAIDs, bile reflux, or alcohol.

Common Symptoms

🔥 Burning or gnawing upper abdominal pain
🤢 Nausea, sometimes with vomiting
😔 Early satiety (feeling full after eating very little)
😮‍💨 Belching and bloating after meals
😑 Loss of appetite
🩸 In severe cases, vomiting blood or dark stools (from bleeding)
⚖️ Weight loss with chronic severe gastritis
😴 Fatigue (from anaemia in autoimmune gastritis)

The H. Pylori Problem in India

H. pylori infection rates in India are among the highest in the world, with prevalence estimates ranging from 50 to 70 percent of the adult population. Most infected people don't know they have it. The infection is acquired in childhood, typically through contaminated water or close contact, and persists lifelong unless treated.

What makes H. pylori particularly significant is its downstream consequences. Beyond gastritis, it causes peptic ulcers in around 15 to 20 percent of infected people and gastric cancer in a small but significant proportion. India has a high burden of gastric cancer, and H. pylori is the major modifiable risk factor. Treating the infection reduces both ulcer and cancer risk significantly.

H. Pylori Testing Options
  • Urea breath test (UBT) - most accurate non-invasive test, requires no endoscopy
  • Stool antigen test - good sensitivity, inexpensive, widely available
  • Rapid urease test (CLO test) - done during endoscopy on biopsy sample
  • Histology - biopsy examination, gold standard, identifies H. pylori and degree of mucosal change
  • Serology (blood antibody test) - available but cannot distinguish active from past infection
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Patient Story

A Real Recovery Story

"

Mahesh had been on omeprazole for two years for gastritis. He still had symptoms: burning, nausea, early fullness. His endoscopy had shown gastritis but H. pylori testing had never been done. When his gastroscopy was repeated with biopsy and H. pylori testing, the infection was confirmed. Following eradication therapy and supportive treatment for the gastric mucosa, his symptoms resolved within six weeks. He came off the PPI three months later. The infection was the cause; the antacid was only managing the symptom."

M
Mahesh T.
Patient · Pune · treated at HomeoSure
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Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions: Gastritis

Gastritis symptoms vary in intensity. Common symptoms include: burning or gnawing pain in the upper abdomen (epigastric region), nausea (sometimes with vomiting), a feeling of fullness or bloating after eating even small amounts (early satiety), loss of appetite, and belching. Some people with gastritis on endoscopy have minimal symptoms, while others have severe discomfort. Symptoms tend to be worse on an empty stomach or with spicy, acidic, or fatty foods and are often temporarily relieved by eating or by antacids. Pain waking you from sleep is more typical of peptic ulcer disease than simple gastritis.
Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped bacterium that lives in the stomach's mucus layer. It produces urease, an enzyme that neutralises stomach acid immediately around it, allowing it to survive in the highly acidic stomach environment. H. pylori triggers persistent inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Over years, this inflammation causes gastric atrophy (thinning of the stomach lining), intestinal metaplasia (abnormal cell changes), and in some cases gastric cancer. H. pylori also causes peptic ulcers: it's the cause of around 90 percent of duodenal ulcers. Testing for H. pylori is essential in any gastritis workup. The breath test (urea breath test) or stool antigen test are the most practical non-invasive tests; biopsy during endoscopy is the gold standard.
Proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole) are safe for short-term use but carry documented risks with long-term use: magnesium deficiency, vitamin B12 malabsorption, increased susceptibility to gut infections (C. difficile, SIBO), bone density reduction, and potential kidney effects with very long-term use. They also reduce stomach acid, which is part of the body's natural defence against gut infections. This matters because many people end up on PPIs indefinitely for H. pylori gastritis without ever treating the infection, then stay on them for the acid rebound that occurs when they try to stop. The right answer is usually to treat the underlying cause of gastritis and then wean off acid suppression, not maintain indefinite suppression.
Autoimmune gastritis (also called Type A gastritis) is a condition where the immune system produces antibodies against parietal cells (the cells in the stomach lining that produce hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor). Over time, this destroys the parietal cell population, leading to reduced acid production (achlorhydria) and, critically, loss of intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is essential for vitamin B12 absorption; without it, B12 absorption falls dramatically, eventually causing pernicious anaemia and neurological complications. Autoimmune gastritis is associated with other autoimmune conditions (Hashimoto's thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes). It's detected by testing for anti-parietal cell antibodies and anti-intrinsic factor antibodies.
Diet doesn't cause gastritis (infections and NSAIDs do) but it significantly affects symptom severity. Foods that worsen gastritis symptoms include: spicy foods, acidic foods (citrus, tomatoes), coffee and caffeine, alcohol, and fatty or fried foods. Foods that tend to be better tolerated include bland, low-fat options: rice, bread, cooked vegetables, lean protein. But dietary modifications are supportive measures, not curative ones. H. pylori gastritis requires eradication therapy; NSAID gastritis requires stopping the NSAID; autoimmune gastritis requires B12 supplementation. None of these resolve with diet alone.
Endoscopy (gastroscopy) is indicated when: symptoms are severe or not responding to treatment, there are alarm features such as weight loss, difficulty swallowing, vomiting blood, blood in stool, anaemia, or age over 45 with new-onset symptoms, there's a family history of stomach cancer, H. pylori treatment has failed and the nature of the gastritis needs clarifying, or when gastritis has been present long enough that mucosal changes need assessment. Not every case of gastritis requires immediate endoscopy. But gastritis managed for months on antacids without H. pylori testing or endoscopic assessment is often being managed blind.

Gastritis symptoms continuing despite antacids?

Antacids manage acid but don't treat the underlying cause. If you've been symptomatic for months, the root cause needs addressing. Book a consultation to get clarity on what type of gastritis you have and what will actually resolve it.

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