Gastritis can develop without symptoms being manifested or may be observed even if minor changes affect the stomach lining; people 60 years and older have a higher likelihood to develop a painless type of gastritis.
Gastritis may also strike by initially showing no symptoms at all like stomach pain or vomiting; however, sometimes the person may later on suddenly become ill due to internal bleeding.
The most typical symptom of gastritis is the pain in the upper stomach. The pain often occurs specifically in the “pit” of the stomach which is normally the upper central area of the stomach.
The pain can also be experienced in the upper left part of the stomach and sometimes in the back. It may feel like radiating from the stomach to the back. The gastritis pain is quite sharp but usually vague. The affected person cannot relieve the pain through belching.
The vomit elicited because of gastritis can either be completely bloody or is clear, yellow or green with streaks of blood in it. The characteristics of the vomit may depend on how severe the inflammation is. Burning in the upper stomach and a feeling of fullness or bloating are also symptoms and signs of gastritis.
Gastritis in its most severe form can show symptoms such as sticky, dark or bloody foul-smelling bowel movements, vomiting of large amounts of blood, very painful stomach or chest pain, shortness of breath, swooning, rapid heart beat, sweating or pallor.
Jamie Catlett is a licensed and board certified acupuncturist in Jacksonville, FL and the founder of Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic.