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Stomach: acute gastritis
Introduction
- Acute inflammation of the gastric mucosa with variable disruption of the gastric mucosal barrier.
- Cause: ingestion of irritant substances, drugs, dietary factors, foreign body, possibly infectious agents.
- Signs: anorexia, vomiting, dehydration, anterior abdominal pain.
- Diagnosis: history, signs, radiography.
- Treatment: fluid therapy if needed, metoclopramide, sucralfate, cimetidine.
- Prognosis: usually good but depends on underlying cause.
Presenting signs
- Anorexia.
- Vomiting.
- Depression.
Breed/Species predisposition
- No breed predisposition recognized.
Cost considerations
- Most cases resolve with simple symptomatic treatment.
Pathogenesis
Etiology
- Ingestion of irritant substances such as:
- Acids.
- Alkalis.
- Corrosives.
- Drugs, such as aspirin and other NSAIDs, corticosteroids.
- Dietary factors including overeating and eating contaminated foods.
- Foreign body.
- Helicobacter Helicobacter spp infection remains controversial.
- Parasites, eg Physaloptera, are occasional causes.
- Viral agents may be involved.
Predisposing factors
General- Indiscriminate eating behavior.
Pathophysiology
- Acute inflammation → disordered gastric motility → delayed gastric outflow and vomition.
- Acute gastritis is common in dogs compared with cats due to the latters' fastidious eating habits.
- Etiological agent damages gastric mucosal barrier.
- Inflammation follows with stimulation of submucosal mast cells and histamine release.
- Histamine stimulates hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen secretion.
- Excess acid and pepsin → further inflammation.
- Persistence of the vicious cycle → gastric ulceration.
- Inflammation stimulates afferent nerves with inputs to the vomiting center in the medulla.
- Inflammation may also contribute to increases in intragastric pressure → vomition.
Timecourse
- Hours to days.
Diagnosis
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Treatment
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Prevention
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
Other sources of information
- Thomas D, Simpson W & Hall E J (1996)Manual of canine and feline gastroenterology.Eds. BSAVA, Cheltenham.
- Simpson J W & Else R W (1991)Digestive disease in the dog and cat.Eds. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.