Is gastritis the same as GERD?

When I was diagnosed, I was told I had severe GERD. Okay, I understand that. My doc also was talking about gastritis, which is lost on me. I thought that GERD and gastritis are the same thing, which is why I dismissed the gastritis part of the diagnosis. But from reading posts from this forum, I'm starting to think that gastritis may not be the same thing as GERD. Oops. Anyway, could anyone give me the lowdown on gastritis in a nutshell? Is there anything special I have to do for it?

[Dr. Erik]

Gastritis is inflamation (inflammation) in the lining of the stomach. GERD is specifically when acid backs up into the esophagus and causes inflamation (inflammation) or Esophagitis.

[nanci]

I have chronic gastritis and while symptoms of gastritis and gerd are similar, they are different maladies.

As Eric described, gastritis is an inflammation, sometimes mild, often acute or chronic.  The treatement for both seems to be the same, PPI's watching trigger foods, eating smaller meals, avoiding ahcohol and caffine.

And I think I read somewhere that if you have GERD, you typically have gastritis as well.

[marygold]

Oh, good. I was scared I was going to have to do something extra to handle it, and I really don't want to. I have enough just dealing with my GERD. Thanx guys.

[eveningstar]

Nanci, how is your brother doing since his colon surgery?  Hope he is recovering nicely.

[Lynn28]

GERD and gastritis can go hand in hand. You can have GERD without gastritis, but if you have gastritis, you 'can' and most often do, have some form of "Reflux". Anything going on in your stomach can impact the esophagus as well if the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is deficient. Another form of reflux that causes gastritis is Duodenogastric Reflux. There's also a diagnosis of  Idiopathic reflux esophagitis/gastritis. Gastritis is an over production of acid. When that acid starts pumping out, it can go anywhere! Up (Esophagitis) or down (Duodenitis).You can still have reflux without GERD. It depends of what's "Refluxing". And if your gastritis isn't caused by H-Pylori, it's being caused by some 'form' of reflux. It's called "Reflux gastritis". Meaning something is refluxing into the stomach that is causing gastritis and it's not H-Pylori. Hope this helps some.

Jenn

[JackieG]

Jenn:

It's a shame we have to know this much, isn't it? I remember when I was healthy and blissfully ignorant about the things in your post.

CS

[marygold]

Wow, and I actually understood everything you wrote. Yeah, I think we all long for those days when we were blissfully ignorant. I think most of my acid goes up, but I'm not sure about down. I know that after I got my scope test earlier this year, they took some pics of my duodenum that I saw, and my GI explained that the folds (villi and microvilli) were not nearly as numerous or as deep as they should be. He didn't know what would cause that, and I was too busy trying to figure out all the new info (not to mention new medication) I got on GERD that I was a little overwhelmed and didn't want to open a new can of worms until I had the first couple under control. Any ideas on what could cause the duodenum to be so smooth? (Biology note: the villi and microvilli facilitate nutrient and mineral absorption, just in case some people were unaware.) The duodenum naturally has some sort of protection or enzyme to counteract the acid from the stomach as the food is moved through the digestive tract, but I forget what it is exactly.

Thanx!

[iamamy]

You are the only person that I have seen on the forum that has had trouble  with esophagittis.  I just need to know if I am being too impatient.  I have been having trouble for 2 months now  with soreness in my chest and  esophagus.  It doesn't hurt to swallow, but after I eat, I feel discomfort.  I also feel discomfort right in the middle, between my ribs (bra line).  I have been on Nexium and I am now taking Protonix. I guess I am starting my 7th week.  I think from a previous post, I gather that you had trouble getting it under control.  I am being careful with my diet and sleeping elevated.  Any suggestions?

[darlingnell]

A related discussion, extreme vomiting was started.