How does aspirin cause gastritis?

If you’re one of the many people who pop an aspirin when they feel a headache coming on, have you ever thought about what those little pills are doing inside your body? As it turns out, aspirin can cause some serious damage to your digestive system. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how aspirin can lead to gastritis, and what you can do to prevent it.

Gastritis: What Is It?

Before we dive into how aspirin causes gastritis, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what exactly gastritis is. Put simply, gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining. This inflammation can be caused by a number of things – from bacterial infections to excessive alcohol consumption – but regardless of its source, it’s not something you want hanging around for too long.

Gastritis symptoms can vary depending on the severity of the inflammation, but generally include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Nausea/vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Feeling full quickly after eating

It’s worth noting that if left untreated for long enough (or in cases where patients repeatedly expose their stomach lining to irritants), chronic gastritis may develop – which could potentially lead to ulcers or even cancer down the line.

Now that we have levels set; let’s take a deeper dive into how good ol’ aspirin fits into this nasty equation.

The Science Behind Aspirin and Gastritis

As mentioned earlier natural language, there are lots of factors that contribute towards developing gastritic complications, with perhaps none more common than repeated usage  of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs such as NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory) or like most people call them…pain killers. But wait! Before  we go talks about aspirin’s nefarious actions, let’s first talk about why it’s such a popular painkiller in the first place.

When we feel pain, our body releases hormones known as prostaglandins. As quirky as they sound like the architecture and planning review magazine or that trendy café on First Avenue with all those organic bowls, these prostaglandins are actually responsible for causing us to feel that unpleasant sensation of discomfort so diligent humans came up with ways to block them out – NSAIDs inhibitors being one of them…these blockers inhibit enzyme cyclooxygenase; this means less prostaglandins and less overall pain. Who needs Sensodyne? Not well-informed o human who has an entire industry telling him not just what is regular toothpaste but also defining ‘activated’ charcoal?! Come on.

But there’s a catch—prostaglandins serve other purposes than creating jabs of agony—they also help protect your stomach lining by contributing to mucus production. The stomach lining possesses layers of mucus which defend against harmful substances and invaders trying to penetrate from outside. So now aspirin gets into action! When you ingest the pill ,its active ingredient called acetylsalicylic acid start irritating both COX 1 & 2 enzymes which eventually result in reduced progstaglondin levels (why can’t every pill do only good things??!). Without their protective effect, each exposure could damage layer after layer of cells effectively leading towards inflammation.

Types Of Gastritis

As mentioned earlier in relation our heading titled what is gastritis?, defined multiple types: eh omisssion must mean any further information herein contained will earn only ridicule nothing more than ignorance (bad humor detected?), however worth mentioning two most common types:

Acute Gastritis

This is manifested through throat punches (ha-ha), nausea/vomiting or bloating feelings after taking aspirin/painkillers.  It usually goes after resting or avoiding aspirin for some time.

Chronic Gastritis

In contrast; chronic inflammation invokes inconveniently recurrent symptoms plus causes more severe tissue erosion.

Let’s move on now onto Risk Factors For Developing Aspirin-Induced Gastritis

Who Is At Risk?

So is this something that everyone who pops a painkiller every once in a while should be worrying about? The answer, unfortunately, is ‘No’. While it is true that anyone can develop gastritis from overusing NSAIDs like aspirin (this includes you with the massive pill case..) but some of us are a tad extra susceptible:

  • Those with existing stomach conditions such as GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)
  • Patients diagnosed with H.pylori bacterial infections – if not treated properly/diagnosed.
  • Drink alcohol frequently or excessively
    Are above average age range i.e over the age of sixty
    (the last one hurts just writing it)

How Can You Prevent It/ Protect Yourself

If you’re someone who struggles with persistent headaches and has started relying on painkillers to get through your day-to-day life, what can you do to minimize your risk of developing gastritis?

First up: If whichever ailment plagues you doesn’t need too much interference from medications—multitude of ailments especially those which come from dietary consumption based pains have simple remedies i.e hydration and rest would give better results than the near synthetic cure-all tablet.

That aside:
Here are some tips for preventing/guarding yourself against aspirin-induced gastric attack

— Take only prescribed dose p.d(day) = per diem (nope not phonetics or Latin)

— Stick to NSAID-free alternatives whenever possible

— Use Anti-Acids alternated between usage of pill intake

—Don’t take pills right before bed or combine them with high fat meals (or you may have a big greasy farewell goodbye…)

— If your stomach starts bothering you after just one or two doses of aspirin, it’s probably best to stop taking it and consult with medical personnel.

Lastly; as unhelpful as this might seem – limiting long term non-essential intake can’t hurt. A day off the pill every now and then is entirely justified… Otherwise consider having an IV drip installed; maybe keep some pocket acid-caneling masks minus exposure niche spray….just kidding

So remember what we’ve learned here today:

Whenever popping that delightful painkiller straight past ‘home-base’, think about how much happier your innards will be if you limit total daily dosage allowing your intestines the grapefruit juice hour they oh so badly deserve.

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