Allergic, or eosinophilic gastritis is a hypersensitivity reaction to food. Manifests inflammatory processes in the stomach, but affects the entire gastrointestinal tract. The first episodes of intolerance of a food product developed in childhood.
Typical allergens that provoke hypersensitivity reactions are cow’s milk, some types of fruits and vegetables, eggs, fish. The vast majority of cases, the disease has an outer cutaneous manifestations.
Diagnosis is difficult, as there is a large list of foods that may provoke an allergic reaction. In addition, the symptoms of a hypersensitivity reaction similar to the inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, bacterial or erosive nature. Only in 30% of cases the diagnosis of allergic gastritis is confirmed by the results of the patient survey.
The peculiarity of this form of hypersensitivity is that there are skin rashes in parallel with signs of gastritis. The defeat of the respiratory system is rare, anaphylaxis or death are extremely rare manifestations of the disease.
The causes of the disease
The main cause of the hypersensitivity reaction is contact with the allergen. The first symptoms of food intolerance are observed at introduction of complementary feeding of children first year of life.
For example, in cow’s milk there are 20 potentially dangerous protein compounds. Also develop reactions to vegetables, fruits, fish.
In older age the allergic process can trigger chocolate, strawberry, citrus, preservatives, various food additives, colorants and thickeners.
Quite often there is hypersensitivity reaction to non-food products. It could be the latex nipples, medicines for oral administration, toys.
The factors contributing to the development of food Allergy:
- the toxemia of the mother during period of gestation;
- heredity;
- the use of non-adapted milk mixtures;
- earlier introduction to a diet of cow’s milk based products, other foods;
- reduction of gastric acidity;
- long as dysbiosis;
- individual features of the structure of the mucous membranes of the stomach.
Symptoms of the disease
The pathological process is extremely rarely isolated, and occurs only in the stomach. Disorders affect all organs of the digestive system. Severity of symptoms depends on the degree of infiltration of the walls of the stomach and intestinal eosinophils.
If struck by a mucous layer, you receive the following symptoms:
If the involved muscle layer, note bloating, nausea and flatulence. With deeper lesions – raised subserous layer – develops ascites. In addition, at all stages of the hypersensitivity reaction observed increase in motility of the gastrointestinal tract. Thus the hydrochloric acid coming back up into the throat, pain, burning, and hypersalivation. There is a General symptoms – weakness, arrhythmias, pallor.
Diagnostic measures
Diagnosis is difficult as the symptoms of eosinophilic gastritis are similar to many diseases of the digestive system. Special attention is paid to the analysis of life, food habits.
The patient is advised to keep a food diary to note your feelings after consumption of certain foods.
Shown examination of the condition of the mucous membranes of the stomach, other digestive tract.
If you suspect an allergic nature of the disease is carried out run scratch tests for tests and provocative tests, evaluation of specific IgE. For some time – on average 7-14 days – the patient consumes the suspect food. If putative allergens several, exclusion from the diet occurs for each of them. Then one products back into the supply system of the patient and monitor reaction to purported allergen.
Such research is carried out only after the relief of acute inflammatory process!
To exclude pathological processes other Genesis shows gastroscopy with sampling for histological examination.
Treatment of allergic gastritis
Treatment of eosinophilic gastritis does a gastroenterologist and an allergist. The selection methods of the patient depends on age, severity of the process.
Offer doctor:
- Specific methods of treatment is the use of diet with the exception of an allergen and products on its basis or the technique of ASIT, where to suppress the reaction hypersensitivity allergens are used, beginning with micro-doses with constant upgrades.
- Nonspecific drug therapy.
In this case shows the long-term use of corticosteroids, antiserotoninova drugs, immunomodulators, drugs aimed at restoring the functions of the digestive tract – enzymes, probiotics, enterosorbents, hepatoprotectors.
Treatment involves the elimination of contact with the allergen. If it is impossible to identify, from the diet derive all potentially hazardous foods.
Preventive measures
Specific measures to prevent eosinophilic gastritis, does not exist. During pregnancy you should follow the doctor’s recommendations and to eliminate potential allergens from the diet. Children first year of life, complementary foods introduced only with the agreement of the pediatrician, gradually, in small portions.
Adult patients are recommended to eliminate from the diet of the allergen, as the eosinophilic form of the disease over time into ulcerative gastritis.
The prognosis is favorable. With proper treatment, the diet the mucous membranes of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract are completely restored.
