The nurse is instructing a patient diagnosed with acute gastritis. The patient asks about the causes of gastritis. The nurse should include which of the following risk factors in her response?
Explanation
• Gastritis, inflammation of the stomach lining, has many causes. Stress is thought to cause gastritis through decreased blood flow to the mucosal lining of the stomach, which leads to atrophy or death of the protective cells, making it easier for the gastric acids to cause damage
• NSAIDs prohibit Cox-1, a prostaglandin needed in the protective mucosal lining of the stomach. If Cox-1 prostaglandins are not produced the mucosal lining is more susceptible to damage from gastric acids
• All of the following risk factors cause gastritis through direct irritation or disruption of the mucosal lining: Alcohol (toxins), trauma, H. pylori (bacterial infection in the stomach), surgery, and burns
• Inactivity and dairy are not associated with gastritis