Will atrophic gastritis turn into cancer? What should I do and what should I pay attention to in my daily life?

A friend asked Huazi if he had atrophic gastritis, saying that he had atrophic gastritis. Is it dangerous and easy to turn into cancer? What should he do in the future? Huazi said that atrophic gastritis is a common digestive tract disease and a type of chronic gastritis. The risk is not great. Generally speaking, the annual cancer rate is about 0.5% to 1%, and the remaining 99% are fine. As long as you keep regular checkups and solve problems in time, you don't have to worry too much.

1. What is atrophic gastritis? Atrophic gastritis is a chronic inflammation of the stomach, characterized by thinning of the gastric mucosa, thickening of the mucosal base, atrophy of the gastric mucosal epithelium and glands, and a decrease in number. Some people have no symptoms, while others may experience symptoms of indigestion such as upper abdominal pain, bloating, weight loss, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and gastroesophageal reflux.

There are many causes of atrophic gastritis, including genetic factors, anxiety and depression, long-term exposure to heavy metals such as lead, copper, and mercury, iron deficiency anemia, bile or intestinal fluid reflux, radiation damage, Helicobacter pylori infection, iron deficiency anemia, long-term improper diet, addiction to smoking and drinking, drug abuse, etc., all of which may cause atrophic gastritis.

2. What kind of atrophic gastritis is dangerous? Many people are worried about how dangerous atrophic gastritis is and whether it will turn into gastric cancer. The degree of danger of atrophic gastritis can be distinguished by its type. Atrophic gastritis is usually divided into two types. One is non-metaplastic atrophy, which means that the number of glands in the stomach is reduced or replaced by fibrous tissue or muscle tissue. The cancer rate of this type is not high.

One is metaplastic atrophy, which means that the gastric glands are replaced by intestinal metaplasia or pyloric metaplasia. If the intestinal metaplastic glands continue to evolve, atypical cell growth (atypical hyperplasia, intraepithelial neoplasia) may occur, and the cancer rate will increase. If the intestinal metaplasia is pathologically tested, small intestinal and complete intestinal metaplasia have little relationship with gastric cancer, while large intestinal intestinal metaplasia is related to gastric cancer.

3. What should I do if I have atrophic gastritis? The treatment of atrophic gastritis is mainly "symptomatic treatment", and different treatment measures are taken according to different symptoms.

1. Antibacterial treatment: If Helicobacter pylori infection is confirmed, antibacterial drugs should be used for eradication treatment. It should be noted that if there is infection in the mouth, teeth, tonsils, nasal cavity, throat, etc., active treatment is also required to prevent bacteria in these parts from entering the stomach with swallowing and aggravating the disease.

2. Antacid treatment: If the gastric mucosa is ulcerated, eroded, or bleeding, or if there are symptoms such as acid reflux, heartburn, hunger pain, etc., antacid drugs need to be used to inhibit gastric acid secretion, and mucosal protectants should be used to increase the defense function of the gastric mucosa and reduce self-digestion and damage to the stomach wall caused by gastric acid and pepsin.

3. Promote digestive function: If you have symptoms such as abdominal distension, loss of appetite, delayed gastric emptying, etc., you can use gastrointestinal motility drugs to promote gastrointestinal motility and relieve symptoms. If there is insufficient secretion of gastric juice and digestive enzymes, you need to use digestive enzyme drugs to promote digestion.

4. Antidepressant treatment: For people who suffer from long-term anxiety, depression, and poor sleep, atrophic gastritis may be caused by mental factors. Anti-anxiety, antidepressant drugs, and sedatives and hypnotics are needed for treatment.

5. Analgesic treatment: When gastrointestinal spasm and colic occur, antispasmodics can be used to relieve pain.

4. The key to treating stomach problems is to nourish the stomach. The stomach needs to be stirred every day, which will cause wear and tear, so its own repair ability is very strong. Therefore, there is a saying that "three parts of treating stomach problems depend on treatment, and seven parts depend on nourishment" in treating stomach problems. Generally speaking, as long as the damaging factors are eliminated, most stomach problems can be cured. Recuperation is a long process, and it can also be treated with traditional Chinese medicine to help the body strengthen the body and eliminate evil.

Usually, you should pay attention to eating properly and avoid overeating. You should eat a light diet, but it is not recommended to drink porridge for a long time. Although rice porridge is easy to digest, eating rice porridge for a long time will prevent the stomach from getting the proper "exercise", and the human organs will "use it or lose it", which will weaken the digestive function. Therefore, it is recommended to eat normally and don't deliberately drink porridge every day.

To sum up, atrophic gastritis, in general, has a low probability of cancer. The treatment method is mainly based on the symptoms. Take medication under the guidance of a doctor, pay attention to maintenance, and don't do things that hurt the stomach. Also pay attention to regular gastroscopy, find problems and treat them in time, the risk is not very high. If you have any questions about medication, consult a doctor or pharmacist in time. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.