GASTRITIS VS GERD: ARE THEY RELATED?
About 50% of 25 to 44-year-olds suffer from some type of digestive problems. There’s so many different ailments, it’s hard to know where one starts and one begins. Of course, there’s lots of overlap among them. Gastritis and GERD are two ailments that can occur separately or together. One can cause the other or they can each have unrelated causes. I have been diagnosed with both gastritis and GERD by separate doctors (one claimed I did not have gastritis at all, but another later confirmed by endoscopy that I do). After a year of self-treatment for both ailments, my endoscopy results showed that I do indeed have gastritis but no esophagus inflammation was found. This does not mean I don’t have GERD, but it is more likely that the stomach inflammation is the cause of my symptoms.
Due to these diagnoses, I treated myself for both ailments and learned that there are many similarities. However, there are also important differences that you should know if you have either of these conditions.
What is gastritis?
Gastritis is simply inflammation of the stomach lining. It is an overarching term for a group of conditions that cause inflammation of the stomach. Gastritis can be acute, which appears suddenly, or chronic, which appears slowly over time. Untreated gastritis can cause ulcers which can lead to more serious health concerns.
Symptoms of Gastritis
Nausea, vomiting, burning or gnawing in the stomach, or a feeling of fullness in the upper stomach after eating are all symptoms of gastritis. Heartburn is not a typical symptom of gastritis, but I experienced this symptom from time to time. My most noticeable symptom was nausea.
Causes of Gastritis
Gastritis has many different potential causes. Here are a couple of triggers for gastritis:
Alcohol
Infection - H. Pylor is a common infection that can cause gastritis. Get tested for this with endoscopy, breath test, or stool sample as soon as you experience ongoing gastritis symptoms. I tested negative for this.
Long-term use of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen
Autoimmune disease
Stress
Trauma or injury
Bile Reflux
Smoking cigarettes
Anemia
Food allergies
Crohn’s disease
For many people, gastritis is caused by a combination of some of the above causes. For me, I think it was a combination of alcohol and stress. My endoscopy also showed signs of bile reflux but it’s unclear if this caused my gastritis or is a result of it.
I want to discuss my perspective on treatment in a separate post, because there’s so much to unpack. For now, I will say that treatment depends on the cause. Once you have identified the cause, only then can you start to build an effective treatment plan.
What is gerd?
GERD on the other hand is a specific disease. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is when stomach acid flows back up in the esophagus, otherwise known as acid reflux. You can have acid reflux without having GERD, but if it happens repeatedly over time, you might have GERD.
Symptoms of GERD
Heartburn, backwash of acid in the throat, upper stomach and chest pain, trouble swallowing, and a sensation of a lump in the throat are some common symptoms of GERD. Nausea can also occur from GERD.
Throughout my healing journey, I’ve experienced periods of intense heartburn, but I’ve also gone through months where I have no heartburn at all. Looking back, I wish I had tracked my symptoms better to understand the patterns. Currently, I’m experiencing no heartburn symptoms and after my recent endoscopy, I don’t feel like GERD applies to my condition anymore.
Causes of GERD
Preexisting conditions: Hiatal hernia, pregnancy, obesity
Smoking
Birth defects or connective tissue diseases
Surgery that may have injured your esophagus
Certain medications: NSAIDs, benzodiazepines, calcium channel blockers, theophylline, and hormone therapy for menopause
Food and drink can trigger GERD but probably not alone. Some foods relax your LES (lower esophageal sphincter) which causes stomach acid to flow up the esophagus.
These foods include chocolate, coffee, alcohol, mint, garlic and onions.
Improving your diet may help you manage GERD symptoms, but it’s important to uncover the true underlying cause to fully treat GERD.
What’s the relationship?
Gastritis and GERD can both be present without any symptoms. Both conditions can be caused by the same things: smoking or NSAID use. An endoscopy is a good place to start to assess the existence of either condition. I was prescribed PPIs on two separate occasions for both GERD and gastritis. I no longer take PPIs but I do take H2 blockers during a flare up. H2 blockers are typically prescribed for GERD, not gastritis. Nonetheless, Pepcid (a type of H2 blocker) helps keep my symptoms at bay.
While the two conditions can exist simultaneously, one does not directly cause the other. In my healing journey, I have found that my treatment regimen has helped minimize heartburn and nausea, my primary symptoms in the past year. If you’re struggling with GERD or gastritis, I’ll be posting how I have gone about treating both conditions in my next post.