Diseases of the stomach

Common conditions

Helicobacter pylori gastritis, chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric cancer, gastric lymphoma.

Symptoms

Dyspepsia, upper abdominal discomfort and/or pain, bloating, belching

Vomiting of blood, passage of altered blood

Anaemia, weight loss, inability to eat

Diagnosis

Endoscopy and biopsy of stomach tissue

Treatment

Helicobacter pylori eradication in cases of H. pylori associated gastritis and peptic ulcer

Surgery for gastric cancer cases.

Complications

Chronic active gastritis has a risk of malignancy.

Peptic ulcers may bleed and perforate.

Gastric cancer

Common cancer among Asians, especially males.

Surgery is the only form of cure.

Easy to detect by endoscopy and biopsy.

High chance of cure if surgery is done at early stage.

Problems in Malaysia

Patients present with advanced stomach cancer as symptoms of early stomach cancer are often mistaken as “gastritis” and treated with oral medication instead of referring for endoscopy.

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