Gastritis

Gastritis is defined as inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Helicobacter pylori, a gram-negative bacteria, is the most common cause of both gastritis and peptic ulcers. The relationship between these disease entities and h. pylori was definitively established in 1982 by a University of Virginia clinician, Dr. Barry Marshall, who, after drinking a solution containing the bacteria, developed gastritis.

Numerous etiologies are implicated in the development of gastritis, such as NSAIDs, alcohol and tobacco use, systemic infection, autoimmune, and severe stress. Perhaps as diverse as the underlying causes are the varied manifestations including erosions, rugal hypertrophy, rugal atrophy, and mucosal nodularity. Given that no single finding or combination thereof is specific for a particular etiology, gastritis is most commonly categorized as either acute or chronic.