Causes of chronic gastritis

What are the causes of chronic gastritis?

Causes of chronic gastritis are:

  1. Nutritive factors include:
    • Irregular eating (eating without following a regime), eating fast, without chewing properly (especially in cases with severe dental problems), icy beverages, extremely hot meals.
  2. Alcohol consumption
  3. The presence of Helicobacter pylori
  4. Smoking
  5. Certain medication such as:
    • Usage of certain medication for a prolonged period of time, for example, salicylic acid based medication, cortisones, digitalic, antibiotics, NSAID drugs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
  6. Poisoning at the workplace:
    • This is especially common for individuals working in the heavy industry (especially dangerous and worth mentioning would be the vapors produced in such workplaces).
  7. Fungal gastritis:
    • Gastritis caused by certain fungi.
  8. Hypovitaminosis:
    • Deficiency of vitamin B1, B2, PP, B12 and A.
  9. Disruptions of the metabolism:
    • Uremia, gout, diabetes, large-scale burns, severe hepatic insufficiency etc.
  10. Allergic gastritis:
    • It is hypothesized that the same effect that allergens have on the skin, they have on the lining of the stomach as well.
  11. Venous stasis (is a condition of slow blood flow in the veins):
    • This may occur when suffering from congestive cardiac insufficiency, portal hypertension (spike of blood pressure in the portal vein) etc.
  12. Certain endocrine conditions:
    • Acromegaly, Hashimoto thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, etc.
  13. Certain blood diseases:
    • Pernicious anemia, etc.
  14. Psychological factors:
    • Chronic stress, extreme emotion etc.

Chronic gastritis could also occur in idiopathic form (the cause cannot be determined).

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 24 Jan 2018
Medical Author: Dr. med. Diana Hysi