What to know about gastritis vs. GERD

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Gastritis and GERD can share certain symptoms. For example, people may have upper abdominal pain and nausea with either condition.

Gastritis symptoms

Most people with gastritis do not have symptoms. If they do, gastritis may cause a person to have indigestion-like symptoms, including:

• abdominal pain or aching
• vomiting
• nausea
• feeling full too soon after eating

Learn more about gastritis symptoms.

GERD symptoms

Not all people with GERD have symptoms. However, some people may experience a burning feeling that rises from the middle of a person’s chest to their throat, or they may taste stomach acid in their mouth.

Other GERD symptoms may include:

• chest pain
• nausea
• chronic coughing or hoarseness
• pain or problems when swallowing

Similar factors can cause a person to develop gastritis or GERD, including smoke inhalation and medication side effects. However, the conditions typically have different causes.

Gastritis causes

The most common cause of chronic gastritis is a bacterial stomach infection. Bacteria cannot cause a person to develop GERD.

Other common causes of gastritis include:

• gastrointestinal infection
• medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• physical stressors such as sepsis or trauma
• autoimmune disorders

GERD causes

A person can develop GERD due to dysfunction in their lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES is a set of muscles that open and close the esophagus (a hollow tube that pushes food from a person’s throat to their stomach).

The LES typically stops food, liquid, and stomach acid from flowing back into the throat. If a person’s LES weakens or relaxes at the wrong times, stomach acid may flow upward into the esophagus.

Factors that can affect a person’s LES and could lead to GERD are:

• having overweight or obesity
• pregnancy
• eating spicy foods
• having a hiatal hernia

Some medicines can cause GERD or make a person’s GERD symptoms worse:

• sedatives, such as benzodiazepines
• some asthma medications
• tricyclic antidepressants
• calcium channel blockers

A doctor will start the diagnosis of gastritis or GERD by reviewing a person’s symptoms and medical history. In some cases, a doctor may order further testing.

A doctor can use upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to diagnose either condition. During this test, a doctor uses a camera on a flexible tube to internally examine a person’s esophagus or stomach.

Other tests are specific to each condition.

To investigate whether a person has GERD, a doctor may use esophageal pH monitoring. For this, they use catheters or capsules to check a person’s stomach acid level over time.

For gastritis, other tests include a:

• physical exam
• blood test
• stool test
• urea breath test to check for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria

Doctors use different treatments for gastritis and GERD.

Gastritis treatment

If gastritis is the result of an infection with bacteria such as H. pylori, a doctor may recommend treatment including:

• a combination of antibiotics
• proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which reduce the amount of acid a person’s stomach produces
• bismuth subsalicylates

In cases where gastric irritation results from medication or other ingested means, avoiding these irritants may effectively treat symptoms. However, a person should not stop taking prescribed medications without first talking with a doctor.

GERD treatment

To manage GERD, doctors often prescribe lifestyle changes as well as medication, including:

• reaching or maintaining a moderate weight
• quitting smoking, if applicable
• changing certain dietary or eating habits

Learn more about foods to limit or avoid to help ease GERD.

Medications for GERD management include:

• antacids
• H2 blockers
• PPIs

If medication and lifestyle changes do not help reduce a person’s symptoms, doctors may recommend surgical options. However, surgical options increase a person’s risk of complications.

One surgical option for treating GERD is fundoplication. For this procedure, a surgeon sews around the end of a person’s esophagus to add pressure to their esophageal sphincter.

Another surgical option is gastric bypass surgery to help people lose weight.

If a person has any of the following symptoms, they should contact a doctor immediately:

• stomach pain and cramps
• fatigue
• shortness of breath
• lightheadedness
• black stools or stools that look similar to tar
• blood in stools
• blood in their vomit, or vomit that looks similar to coffee grounds
• pain or problems when swallowing
• chest pain
• persistent vomiting
• loss of appetite
• unexplained weight loss

Complications

Untreated gastritis or GERD can lead to a person developing serious complications. Untreated gastritis can lead to peptic ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Untreated GERD can lead to complications such as:

• ulcers and bleeding in the lining of a person’s esophagus
• problems swallowing
• other complications outside the esophagus

Learn about the advanced stages of GERD.

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about gastritis and GERD.

Can gastritis turn into GERD?

Gastritis is not a cause of GERD. Studies show that H. pylori bacteria that causes gastritis cannot cause GERD.

What might a doctor mistake for gastritis?

A doctor may mistake several conditions for gastritis due to shared symptoms. These conditions include:

• pregnancy
• peptic ulcer disease
• gallbladder disease
• pancreatitis
• gastroparesis
• gastric cancer
• inflammatory bowel disease

Gastritis and GERD cause similar symptoms. However, doctors treat them differently. Left untreated, both conditions can cause serious complications.

If a person suspects they may have gastritis or GERD, they should seek medical advice.