•

What causes gastritis?

A gastrointestinal bacterial infection can also cause gastritis. The
most common bacterial infection that causes it is Helicobacter
pylori.
Other risk factors include:
• extreme alcohol consumption
• routine use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like
ibuprofen and aspirin
• cocaine use
• age, because the stomach lining thins naturally with age
• tobacco use
• Other less common risk factors include:
• stress caused by severe injury, illness, or surgery
• autoimmune disorders
• digestive disorders
 What are the symptoms of gastritis?
• Gastritis doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms in
everyone. The most common symptoms are:
• nausea
• vomiting
• a feeling of fullness in your upper abdomen,
particularly after eating
• indigestion
• black, tarry stool
• vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee
grounds
 Common symptoms of hepatitis
• Signs and symptoms of acute hepatitis appear quickly.
They include:
• fatigue
• flu-like symptoms
• dark urine
• pale stool
• abdominal pain
• loss of appetite
• unexplained weight loss
• yellow skin and eyes, which may be signs of jaundice
 Tips to prevent hepatitis
• Hygiene
• Practicing good hygiene is one key way to avoid contracting
hepatitis A and E. If you’re traveling to a developing
country, you should avoid:
• local water
• ice
• raw or undercooked shellfish and oysters
• raw fruit and vegetables
• Vaccines
• The use of vaccines is an important key to preventing
hepatitis. Vaccinations are available to prevent the
development of hepatitis A and B.
 Symptoms
• Loose, watery stools
• Abdominal cramps
• Abdominal pain
• Fever
• Blood in the stool
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Urgent need to have a bowel movement
 When to see a doctor
• Your diarrhea persists beyond two days
• You become dehydrated
• You have severe abdominal or rectal pain
• You have bloody or black stools
• You have a fever above 102 F (39 C)
• In children, particularly young children, diarrhea can quickly
lead to dehydration. Call your doctor if your child's diarrhea
doesn't improve within 24 hours or if your baby:
• Becomes dehydrated
• Has a fever above 102 F (39 C)
• Has bloody or black stools
• Viruses.
Causes
• Bacteria and parasites.
• Medications. Many medications, such as antibiotics, can cause diarrhea. Antibiotics
destroy both good and bad bacteria, which can disturb the natural balance of bacteria in
your intestines. Other drugs that cause diarrhea are cancer drugs and antacids with
magnesium.
• Lactose intolerance. Lactose is a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. People
who have difficulty digesting lactose have diarrhea after eating dairy products.
• Your body makes an enzyme that helps digest lactose, but for most people, the levels of
this enzyme drop off rapidly after childhood. This causes an increased risk of lactose
intolerance as you age.
• Fructose. Fructose, a sugar found naturally in fruits and honey and added as a sweetener
to some beverages, can cause diarrhea in people who have trouble digesting it.
• Artificial sweeteners. Sorbitol and mannitol, artificial sweeteners found in chewing gum
and other sugar-free products, can cause diarrhea in some otherwise healthy people.
• Surgery. Some people have diarrhea after undergoing abdominal surgery or gallbladder
removal surgery.
• Other digestive disorders. Chronic diarrhea has a number of other causes, such as
Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, microscopic colitis and irritable bowel
syndrome.
 Symptoms
• Passing fewer than three stools a week
• Having lumpy or hard stools
• Straining to have bowel movements
• Feeling as though there's a blockage in your
rectum that prevents bowel movements
• Feeling as though you can't completely empty the
stool from your rectum
• Needing help to empty your rectum, such as
using your hands to press on your abdomen and
using a finger to remove stool from your rectum
 What Causes Appendicitis?
• Appendicitis occurs when the appendix
becomes blocked, often by stool, a foreign
body, or cancer. Blockage may also occur from
infection, since the appendix can swell in
response to any infection in the body.
 What Are the Symptoms of
Appendicitis?
• Dull pain near the navel or the upper abdomen that
becomes sharp as it moves to the lower right
abdomen. This is usually the first sign.
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and/or vomiting soon after abdominal
pain begins
• Abdominal swelling
• Fever of 99-102 degrees Fahrenheit
• Inability to pass gas
• Almost half the time, other symptoms of
appendicitis appear, including:
• Dull or sharp pain anywhere in the upper or
lower abdomen, back, or rectum
• Painful urination and difficulty passing urine
• Vomiting that precedes the abdominal pain
• Severe cramps
• Constipation or diarrhea with gas