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Erythematous gastropathy: focal, diffuse, erosive, antral gastropathy
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Causes erythematous gastropathy
Most often, the cause of this condition is an improper diet - eating foods that negatively affect the gastric mucosa. In addition, the mode in which you work and rest, as well as how resistant your body is to stress, have a great influence.
Pathogenic microorganisms and fungi that disrupt the functioning of the stomach can have a negative impact on the gastric mucosa.
Another reason for the appearance of such symptoms is a disturbance in the metabolic process. Some medications can also negatively affect the mucous membrane (irritating it).
Erythematous gastropathy can also be hereditary - if someone from your immediate family has been diagnosed with a similar diagnosis, this increases the risk of its development in you. Another reason is the presence of bad habits, as they contribute to the development of gastrointestinal pathologies.
Certain diseases of the digestive system, such as cholecystitis, colitis, enteritis, pancreatitis, can also become etiological factors of erythematous gastropathy.
Risk factors
Risk factors for the development of erythematous gastropathy include: long-term use of certain medications (eg, NSAIDs), alcohol consumption and smoking, as well as certain chronic diseases.
Symptoms erythematous gastropathy
Erythematous gastropathy appears as redness on the gastric mucosa and is usually a sign of gastritis.
This pathology may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, pain and heaviness in the stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Loss of appetite causes general lethargy and weakness, as well as weight loss. In some cases, patients experience increased fatigue and anxiety. Therefore, if you experience such symptoms, you should undergo an endoscopy procedure. If its results show a lesion (which looks like redness) on the mucous membrane, this confirms the diagnosis.
Redness is a sign of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. To prevent the disease from becoming chronic, you should pay attention to these symptoms as soon as possible and begin treatment.
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Where does it hurt?
What's bothering you?
Stages
The stage of inflammation depends on the degree of neglect of the disease. There are 1 and 2 stages of this process.
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Forms
There are 2 types of erythematous gastropathy:
- A widespread (or diffuse) form, in which redness covers most of the mucosal surface. Sometimes hyperemia affects different areas of the stomach;
- Focal form, in which foci of hyperemia are found only in one (usually small) area of the mucosa.
Erythematous gastropathy of the antrum
The antral section is located at the bottom of the stomach, and its function is to mix food products, and in addition to this, to maintain the acid-base balance in the stomach contents. As a result of damage to this area, the process of moving food through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum slows down, resulting in stagnation of undigested food, which undergoes a fermentation process.
This pathology, if left untreated, can transform into a serious chronic gastrointestinal disease (including stomach cancer).
Erythematous erosive gastropathy
With this type of pathology, hyperemia is observed, which is accompanied by superficial erosions, detected using the endoscopy procedure. The resulting erosions can be divided into 2 types - acute and chronic. The first are usually no more than 2 mm in size and, if the cause that provoked their appearance is eliminated, they heal after a week. But the second can reach up to 7 mm in diameter.
Erosive gastropathy develops as a result of injuries, burns, stress, diabetes, alcohol abuse, cardiac, renal or hepatic failure, sepsis, and the use of drugs such as aspirin or prednisolone. Its appearance is accompanied by deterioration of blood circulation in the mucosa due to excessive production of hydrochloric acid. Erosion is also caused by intestinal reflux into the gastric lumen, and in addition to this, the penetration of Helicobacter pylori bacteria into the gastrointestinal tract.
Symptoms of the pathology are heartburn, a feeling of heaviness under the right rib, sour belching, pain, bloating. During the treatment, the pathogen is eliminated - for this, antibacterial drugs, drugs that improve blood flow, PPIs, as well as cytoprotectors and antacid drugs are used.
Congestive erythematous gastropathy
With this type of gastropathy, there is a disruption in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Usually, its signs are not obvious and are not noticed against the background of the underlying disease. Among the factors that provoke the appearance of this pathology are ulcers, alcohol abuse, smoking, and the appearance of Helicobacter pylori microbes.
Symptoms of congestive gastropathy are erosive and ulcerative wounds on the gastric mucosa in the gastroduodenal region. It usually occurs due to weakening of the protective properties of mucus, as well as deterioration of the blood flow process.
Stagnation is demonstrated by such signs as multiple acute lesions of the mucous membrane, with a complete absence of pain, local inflammation, and symptoms of dyspepsia. In some cases, the disease manifests itself in the form of belching, heartburn, heaviness after eating, and nausea.
Congestive erythematous gastropathy often develops against the background of liver or kidney diseases, pancreatic tumors, regional enteritis, portal hypertension, and also severe burns and serious injuries.
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Complications and consequences
Possible complications of this disease include pathologies such as stomach ulcers or gastritis; stomach cancer rarely develops.
Diagnostics erythematous gastropathy
To detect the presence of this pathology, it is necessary to undergo an endoscopy procedure, during which a special endoscopic probe is inserted into the patient's stomach through the mouth. This is a flexible tube, to one end of which a small camera is attached, with the help of which it is possible to examine the inner surface of the duodenum, as well as the stomach.
What do need to examine?
How to examine?
Who to contact?
Treatment erythematous gastropathy
If erythematous gastropathy occurs as a symptom of chronic gastritis, it is treated during therapy for the underlying disease. See treatment of chronic gastritis
The main method of eliminating the pathology is to follow the prescribed diet, which includes products that have a beneficial effect on the gastric mucosa. At the same time, the portions of food should not be too large, and meals are recommended to be taken at intervals of 2-3 hours.
It is also important to completely stop drinking alcohol and smoking. You should not take medications that can cause hyperemia of the mucous membrane on your own, without a doctor's prescription.
Medicines
The medications prescribed for this disease are Gastrofarm and Gastrocepin. These medications help restore the gastric mucosa.
Gastropharm tablets should be taken before meals (half an hour before) - chew and wash down with water or crush, mix with warm boiled water and drink the solution. For the treatment of gastritis in acute or chronic form, as well as with increased acidity of gastric juice, the following dosages are recommended: for adults 1-2 pcs., for children aged 3-12 years - 0.5 pcs., aged 12-18 years - 1 pc. Drink 3 times a day for 30 days. If in case of acute gastritis the desired effect is not achieved, it is allowed to increase the daily dosage by 2 times. The effect of therapy usually begins to appear by the end of the 1st week of treatment.
For the treatment of gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer for adults, the dosage is 3-4 pieces three times a day for 30 days.
As a preventive measure, tablets should be taken three times a day, 1-2 pcs. for 15 days. If you abuse tobacco or alcohol: 1-2 pcs. 2-3 times a day.
Gastrocepin should be taken 2 times a day before meals (half an hour). The daily dosage is 50-150 mg, and the average single dose is 50 mg. The course of treatment should last 1-1.5 months. The medicinal solution should be administered intramuscularly or intravenously 2 times a day. A single dose is 2 ml. Side effects of the drug include headaches, allergies, dry mouth, dilated pupils, constipation, urinary retention, accommodation disorder, and tachycardia. Contraindications include prostatic hypertrophy and glaucoma.
Traditional and herbal medicine
To treat erythematous gastropathy, it is recommended to frequently drink herbal infusions and decoctions - both as a separate drink and as an additive to weak tea. Therapy should be carried out by preparing decoctions in accordance with recipes intended specifically to eliminate gastritis. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the level of acidity of gastric juice - increased or decreased.
If the acidity is low, the most effective remedy will be cabbage juice - it should be fresh, and it should be drunk warm. Sometimes after taking fresh juice you can feel sick - in this case you need to drink it 4 hours after squeezing. It is recommended to drink 0.5 glass. 2 times a day daily. The finished juice can be stored in the refrigerator for 1.5 days without losing its medicinal properties.
If the acidity is increased and there is severe heartburn, the best remedy will be birch bark tincture. It needs to be crushed, take 2 tbsp. of the ingredient, pour them with 2 glasses of water (temperature 60 degrees). Then insist for 3 hours, then strain and drink 0.5 glasses 3 times a day. 15 minutes after drinking the tincture, you need to eat 1 tbsp. of melted warm butter, and after another 15 minutes you can start eating. The treatment course lasts 3 weeks.
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Surgical treatment
Surgical treatment is the most extreme measure. Compared to surgery, a more gentle method is resection. To perform it, a narrow long tube equipped with a video camera, a light source and other equipment necessary for the procedure is inserted through the mouth into the stomach cavity. Using this tube, the doctor removes areas of pathologically altered gastric mucosa.
Diet for erythematous gastropathy
Having identified the presence of symptoms of erythematous gastropathy, it is very important not to overeat during the recovery period. You cannot overload your stomach with food, you should eat often, but in small portions.
You need to eat foods every day that restore the mucous membrane and do not irritate the stomach. For example, you should eat jelly, various porridges, and chicken broth. Remember that the food should not be very hot (such dishes are strictly prohibited) - the temperature should be comfortable, warm.
Instead of strong black tea and coffee, you should drink either herbal tea or plain clean water. You should also definitely give up alcoholic beverages (with any percentage of alcohol content) and smoking.
This diet allows you to speed up the process of restoring the gastric mucosa, and also prevents the transformation of erythematous gastropathy into chronic gastritis or gastric ulcer.
Prevention
To reduce the risk of gastropathy recurrence and prevent its further development, it is necessary to get rid of the factors that contribute to the development of pathology. Patients need to listen to the doctor's recommendations, get rid of bad habits and excess weight, and eat right.