Stomach diseases

Organ: The stomach 

Disease type: Gastrointestinal diseases

Types

• Achlorhydria
• diverticulosis, Stomach
• Duodenogastric reflux
• Gastric antral vascular ectasia
• Gastric dilatation
• Gastric outlet obstruction
• Gastritis
• Gastroparesis
• Peptic ulcer
• Postgastrectomy syndromes
• Stomach neoplasms
• Stomach rupture
• Stomach volvulus
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome 

 

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD/GORD)

It is a very common complaint to experience "indigestion" or "heartburn" due to reflux of acid through the lower esophageal sphincter and up into the oesophagus. This can usually be managed by lowering the acidity of the stomach contents with a proton pump inhibitor or a H2 receptor antagonist. 

 

Peptic ulcer disease

The combination of colonisation by a large number of H. pylori bacteria, excessive stomach acidity, and other insults to the integrity of the lining of the digestive tract, can produce peptic ulcers. This can occur in the stomach (gastric ulcers) and the duodenum. This is managed by reducing the acidity with proton pump inhibitors or H2 receptor antagonists. H. pylori testing should be carried out and if positive the infection can be treated with a combination antibiotic therapy. 

 

Pernicious anaemia

In some patients, the immune system targets gastric parietal cells and damages them. This reduces the production of intrinsic factor. As intrinsic factor levels become low, vitamin B12 absorption is impaired. This reduces the rate of successful red blood cell production, leading to anaemia. This disorder is treated with vitamin B12 supplementation (by injection into the blood). 

 

Paraneoplastic syndromes

When neuroendocrine cells become malignant they can form gastrinomas. These are tumors which produce large quantities of gastrin. This can happen in the pancreas or duodenum. The excessive gastrin stimulates high levels of activity in gastric parietal cells, and hyperplasia of parietal cells. This increases the rate of acid production. This causes Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. These patients are at high risk of recurrent peptic ulcers.