Aunt Wang has been suffering from a distended stomach recently, with a dull pain, and even more uncomfortable after eating, so she went to the hospital for treatment. Gastroscopy findings suggest atrophic gastritis with erosions. A few days later, the pathological results also came out: moderate atrophy of the gastric mucosa, mild intestinalization.
This result can startle Aunt Wang, who usually loves to learn health care knowledge. It is important to know that atrophic gastritis is not a minor disease, it can develop into cancer. What is this intestinalization? Could it be that my stomach has become intestines? This word made Aunt Wang panic inexplicably, and she didn't feel that she had made up for some "serious illnesses" in her brain.
So what exactly is atrophic gastritis and intestinalization? Will this disease find me? Is Aunt Wang's illness so serious? What if I also suffer from this disease like Aunt Wang? Today, with all of you, let's talk about this enterization.
▍Intestinalization, will it find me?
What is intestinalization? To put it simply, intestinal cells grow on the gastric mucosa. The function of the intestinal mucosa is absorption, and the function of the gastric mucosa is digestion. So when intestinalization occurs, our digestive function will be affected. So what about those friends who are prone to intestinalization?
1. Helicobacter pylori positive: Helicobacter pylori positive patients are very prone to active gastritis, and the gastric mucosa is easily repaired under the long-term stimulation of inflammation and leads to intestinal intestinization[1].
2. People with bad habits: love to eat high fat, spicy food, smoking and drinking, staying up late for a long time and lack of vitamins, etc., these bad habits will make the stomach under continuous inflammation, and it is easy to form intestinal metaplasia and even cancer.
3. Middle-aged and elderly people: the older they are, the higher the risk of intestinalization. Men and women over the age of 50 will have varying degrees of atrophy and intestinalization.
4. People with a family history of gastric cancer: People with a family history of gastric cancer have a 4-6 times higher risk of intestinal intestinalization than the general population.
▍Intestinalization, how long does it take to become cancerous?
Studies have shown that within 5 years of diagnosis, the probability of atrophic gastritis developing into gastric cancer is 0.1%, and the probability of intestinal metaplasia developing into gastric cancer is 0.25%, of which mild to moderate dysplasia is 0.6% and severe dysplasia is 6%. As we can see, this probability is very low [2]. The vast majority of chronic atrophic gastritis is stable and does not progress to gastric cancer.
In addition, more and more research data and we have shown that intestinalization can be reversed by changing dietary habits, lowering gastric juice pH, and eradicating Helicobacter pylori [3].
Therefore, for the statement that intestinal disease is a "precancerous lesion" on the Internet: on the one hand, we don't need to worry too much all day long. On the other hand, it is also necessary to actively cooperate with the treatment, change the lifestyle, and re-examine in time to improve the gastric mucosal lesions.
▍What should I do if I have intestinal intestinalization?
Eradication of Helicobacter pylori can, to a certain extent, reverse atrophy, delay the progression of cancer, and reduce the incidence of gastric cancer.
To a certain extent, traditional Chinese medicine treatment can delay or block the progression of atrophy and intestinalization, and even partially reverse mild atrophy and intestinalization. Commonly used Chinese patent medicines include gastric rejuvenation, morodan, and rehabilitation new liquid.
Appropriate supplementation of folic acid and vitamin B12 can also improve chronic atrophic gastritis and reduce the incidence of gastric cancer.
If it is only mild intestinal and has no symptoms, there is no need to worry too much, and there is no need for special treatment after the use of drugs to eradicate Helicobacter pylori.
If the examination result is moderate or severe incomplete intestinal metaplasia or colorectal metaplasia, friends need to be vigilant, should be treated according to the doctor's instructions, and do gastroscopy every 6~12 months to monitor the changes in the condition. If, unfortunately, the disease progresses to the level of severe dysplasia, then gastroscopic mucosal resection or surgery may be considered due to the high risk of developing gastric cancer in the short term [4].
▍What should I do in my daily life?
1. Regular inspections are indispensable
According to your own situation and the severity of your condition, you should do regular gastroscopy reexamination. If severe dysplasia and cancer are found, surgery and local gastric mucosal resection should be performed in time.
2. Pay attention to your eating habits
Quit smoking and drinking; Do not eat excessively hot, expired, oily, or salty foods, as well as overnight dishes and pickled smoked products; Eat less cold, spicy, and greasy foods; Eat light, soft, and easily digestible foods, as well as fresh vegetables and fruits.
3. Chew slowly, eat on time
Eat slowly, let the food be chewed well in the mouth, and swallow slowly; Have regular meals to avoid being too hungry and too full. Minimize irritation of the gastric mucosa to prevent exacerbation. Use chopsticks when eating out to reduce the risk of getting sick from the mouth.
4. Don't worry about emotional peace
Frequent adverse mood swings can directly affect the development of gastritis and the degree of intestinal malignancy. So it's okay, lose your temper less, go out more when you have time, take a walk, dance square dance, three or five old friends, and get together and chat, all of which are good ways to relieve bad emotions.
5. Rational use of drugs for symptomatic use
Be cautious of stomach drugs, such as aspirin; Digestive enzymes can be taken in the case of indigestion, gastric motility agents can be taken in the case of gastric fullness, and gastric mucosal protectors can be taken in the case of gastric mucosal damage; In addition, traditional Chinese medicine also has a good effect on reversing atrophy.
▍Summary
You don't need to worry too much about intestinal disease, and it's better to treat it correctly than to be blindly afraid of disease. According to the doctor's advice, active treatment, lifestyle adjustments, and healthy diet can defeat the disease.
bibliography
1. Consensus opinion on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine (2017)[J].Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine and Digestion,2018,26(2):121-128
2.中国急性胃黏膜病变急诊专家共识[J].中国急救医学,2015,35(9):769-7733. 中国慢性胃炎共识意见（2017年,上海）[J].胃肠病学,2017,22(11):670-6784.Shah SC, Piazuelo MB, Kuipers EJ, et al. AGA Clinical Practice Update on the Diagnosis and Management of Atrophic Gastritis: Expert Review[J]. Gastroenterology. Available online 26 August 2021.
Tips: Popular science articles do not provide professional diagnosis and treatment opinions, please carry out specific diagnosis and treatment under the guidance of professional doctors, and the illustrations in the article are from Visual China
Yimaitong is a professional online doctor platform, and the mission of the platform is to "sense the pulse of the world's medicine and help China's clinical decision-making". Yimaitong has a series of products such as "Clinical Guidelines", "Medication Reference", "Medical Literature King", "Yizhiyuan", "eYantong" and "ePulse", which fully meet the needs of medical workers in clinical decision-making, obtaining new knowledge and improving scientific research efficiency.