Symptoms of gastric infection can vary and are often atypical. In fact, this condition can be dangerous if not detected and treated. Therefore, know what the symptoms of a stomach infection are so you can recognize them.
Stomach infections are generally caused by bacteria Helicobacter pylori. These bacteria tend to attack the stomach wall to cause injury to the stomach and small intestine.
If not treated quickly and appropriately, gastric infections can cause various complications in the stomach, such as:
- stomach ulcer (peptic ulcer).
- Acid reflux disease (GERD).
- Holes in the stomach wall (gastric perforation).
- Inflammation of the stomach (gastritis).
- Stomach cancer.
So that stomach infections do not get worse and cause these complications, it is important to recognize what the symptoms of stomach infections are and how to treat them appropriately.
Various Symptoms of Gastric Infection
Symptoms of gastric infection are often difficult to detect because they are almost similar to the symptoms of other diseases. In certain cases, stomach infections do not even cause symptoms, so many people do not realize that they are suffering from a stomach infection.
However, when bacteria H.pylori Infecting the stomach, the following symptoms of gastric infection usually appear:
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Bloated.
- Burp often.
- Decreased appetite.
- The upper abdomen or solar plexus feels sore, hot, or stinging.
- Weight loss.
- Breath smells uncomfortable.
- Fever.
If it is severe, stomach infection can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting blood, drastic weight loss, and black stools. If the symptoms that appear to get worse or severe symptoms appear, you need to immediately see a doctor.
Steps for Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastric Infections
To confirm that you have a stomach infection, your doctor will perform a number of tests, including:
Blood and stool test
Blood tests aim to detect the presence of bacteria H.pylori and assess whether there are other infections in the body. In addition to blood tests, stool examinations can also be done to see if there are bacteria H.pylori in the stomach.
Urea breath test or urea breath test
One of the symptoms of a stomach infection caused by bacteria H.pylori is the presence of a characteristic bad breath. Bad breath is produced by bacterial metabolism H.pylori which produces a lot of urea in the stomach. This buildup of urea in the stomach will also be expelled through the breath, thus making the breath smell bad.
Therefore, the urea breath test is often performed to detect the presence of germs that cause gastric infections.
endoscope
One of the important investigations to diagnose gastric infection is endoscopy. Through this examination, the doctor can see the condition of the stomach wall and see if there are signs of inflammation, infection, or ulcers in the stomach due to infection.
In addition to monitoring the condition of the stomach, endoscopy can also be performed to take a sample of gastric wall tissue for a gastric biopsy.
After confirming that the symptoms of gastric infection you are experiencing are caused by bacteria H.pylori, the doctor will treat gastric infections by giving several types of drugs, namely:
1. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI)
This type of drug is also called a proton pump inhibitor class of drugs. This class of drugs works to prevent the production of stomach acid.
Examples of PPI class drugs that can be used to treat gastric damage due to bacterial infections H.pylori These are esomeprazole, omeprazole, lansoprazole, and pantoprazole.
2. H2-receptor antagonist or H2RA
This type of drug also has the same function as the PPI class of drugs, namely to reduce the production of stomach acid. Examples of drugs that fall into this class of drugs are cimetidine, famotidine, and ranitidine.
3. Gastroprotector
This type of drug serves to coat the wound and protect the stomach wall from stomach acid that increases due to gastric infection. Several types of gastroprotector drugs that are often used to treat symptoms of gastric infections are bismuth subsalicylate and sucralfate.
4. Antibiotics
To eradicate the germs that cause stomach infections, the use of antibiotics is needed. Some examples of antibiotics used to treat stomach infections include amoxicillin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, tetracycline, or clarithromycin.
Determination of the type of medicine, dosage, and duration of treatment will be adjusted to the patient's health condition. That is why, you need to see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis of a stomach infection so that this disease can be treated properly.
After approximately 4 weeks after treatment, the doctor will advise the patient to undergo a series of examinations to see the progress of the patient's condition and evaluate whether the germs that cause gastric infections have been successfully eradicated.
After being prescribed medication, you are advised to take the medication as directed by your doctor and finish it. If not consumed properly, the bacteria in the body can become resistant to antibiotics and make infections more difficult to treat.
To relieve the symptoms of gastric infection, you are advised not to smoke, and not to consume alcoholic beverages, caffeinated drinks, spicy foods, and herbal or herbal medicines without a doctor's recommendation.