Understand
A test result · Stomach · see where this sits
Gastritis
Your biopsy showed gastritis. You want to know what’s irritating your stomach and what to do.
- Gastritis is common and usually manageable
- It often has a treatable cause
- It’s not cancer
- Most cases improve once the cause is addressed
What gastritis means
Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining. Common causes include H. pylori infection, regular use of anti-inflammatory painkillers (like ibuprofen or naproxen), alcohol, and sometimes the immune system. Pinning down the cause is what points to the fix.
- Gastritis = inflammation of the stomach lining
- Common causes: H. pylori, anti-inflammatory painkillers, alcohol
- Not cancer — it usually settles once the cause is handled
- Finding the cause is the point; it’s what stops it returning
What happens next
Treatment follows the cause: clearing H. pylori if it’s present, easing off the medications or habits that irritate the lining, and often a course of acid-reducing medicine to let the stomach heal. Your provider will match the plan to what your biopsy and history show.
Common questions
Is gastritis the same as an ulcer?
They’re related but not identical. Gastritis is inflammation; an ulcer is a break in the lining. The same causes can drive both.
Should I stop my pain medicines?
If anti-inflammatories are the cause, reducing them helps — but check with your provider first, especially if you take them for another condition.
Take the tools you need to move your care forward.
Continue the story
This chapter closes once the cause is addressed — most often by treating H. pylori or easing the medicines that irritate the lining.
Want to talk through the cause?
Your provider can match the treatment to your specific cause — that’s the conversation to have.
Appointments are with Rochester Gastroenterology Associates — for patients in the greater Western New York area.
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