Gastric dysplasia, causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Chronic diseases of the digestive tract are one of the main problems in gastroenterology.
Not least due to the fact that they often cause degenerative processes in the mucous membrane, which can potentially result in oncological pathologies. Below we will analyze in detail what gastric dysplasia is, why gastric dysplasia occurs, which groups of patients are at risk, how it can be diagnosed, what the possible consequences are and how this condition is treated.

Kinds

There are two types of gastric dysplasia:

• hyposector (mild, moderate, severe);
• hypersector.

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The hyposectoral type of dysplasia is characterized by a reduced amount of secretion in the epithelium. Dysplasia of this type can be mild, moderate or severe.

It is worth noting that with mild dysplasia (when the epithelium is made up of cells with large light nuclei), the risk that the disease will develop into cancer is much lower than with moderate and severe dysplasia (when the cells are not located close to each other in the form of clusters, but granules secreting secretion, are rare).

The hyposectoral type is characterized by a large number of granules that produce secretion and form a gastric polyp.

Mechanism of change

The epithelium changes its histological structure and tinctorial properties (ability to stain). The squamous epithelium begins to transform and be replaced by atypical cells.

With dysplasia of the gastric epithelium, secretion decreases - the parietal and main cells responsible for the production of gastric juice begin to work weakly and are pushed to the periphery. They quickly begin to die.

Dysplasia is practically a transit stage between hyperplastic processes and cancer. This is the basis of its danger. The probability of malignancy is 75%.

The process always progresses, and initially focal dysplasia of the stomach begins to actively invade new areas, the process becomes generalized. The stomach is affected not only in breadth, but also in depth. Moreover, dysplasia, starting from glandular cells, moves to the upper layers of the liver, mammary glands, genitals, etc. Then dysplasia develops in these areas.

Degrees

This disease has three degrees.

First degree

Characterized by a significant reduction in the amount of secretion, hyperchromatosis is observed.

Second degree

With grade 2 dysplasia, cells divide more actively. As a result, there are a lot of them, while the number of healthy cells decreases.

It is worth noting that the second form is very difficult. Moreover, if treatment is started on time, the patient retains every chance of recovery.

Third degree

Dysplasia of the 3rd degree is characterized by the fact that the secretion is practically not released, the number of affected tissues increases. With this degree of disease, there is a high probability of the formation of stomach polyps.

If you seek help from a doctor in a timely manner, then gastric dysplasia of the first and second degrees, with timely access to a doctor and a timely course of therapy, can be treated.

The third degree of dysplasia is the most severe and if you do not complete the full course, there is a high probability that the disease will develop into oncology. According to statistics, this happens in almost the majority of cases (about 70%).

Glandular epithelial dysplasia

This type of dysplasia is characterized by a violation of the cellular structure of the glandular ducts, atypical development of cells, excessively close arrangement of epithelial cells, increased branching of the ducts or their flattening. The formation of pathological growths of epithelial cells of the papillary layer is possible.

Adenomatosis

Columnar epithelial dysplasia often develops in the cervical canal. Disturbances in a woman’s hormonal balance, in particular, increased levels of estrogen or progesterone in the body, can contribute to the development of the process. Hormonal imbalance is both endogenous and exogenous. Often, weak atypia of the columnar epithelium develops during pregnancy, after childbirth, as a result of taking a number of hormonal drugs. In this case, the characteristic lesion will be small glandular hyperplastic formations. Disorders of the proliferation of columnar epithelium often coexist with similar disorders of stratified squamous epithelium. This is considered an extremely important criterion for treatment.

Causes

There are internal and external causes of gastric dysplasia.

External reasons include:

• Consumption of alcoholic beverages. Strong alcohol harms the esophagus and destroys stomach cells.
• Nicotine addiction. Smoking is also a provocateur and cause of the disease.
• Excessive consumption of table salt, meat, seafood that damage the epithelial layer of the stomach, carbohydrate foods.
• Insufficient intake of vitamins and beneficial microelements.
• Unfavorable environmental conditions, including the chemical composition of soil, water, air.

Internal reasons include:

• harmful substances in the gastric environment;
• impaired absorption of microelements into the walls of the stomach;
• immunological prerequisites;
• heredity and genetic causes.

It is important to note that if there are carriers of this disease in the family, it is necessary to closely monitor their health.

What causes the disease

There are two main groups of reasons for the formation of the process:

1. Exogenous or external factors. These are the conditions that act on the organ from the external environment, causing structural and functional changes.
2. Endogenous or internal factors. Chronic pathological processes and diseases lead to them.

What refers to exogenous causes:

• Irrational food intake. This factor includes quick snacks, dry food, overeating and passing, eating food once a day.
• Consumption of low-quality harmful products. This criterion includes everything fried, fatty, too salty, spicy, sour, fast food, smoked, canned. The most dysplasia-provoking product is vinegar!
• Bad habits are in second place after vinegar. Scientists have proven that smoking tobacco in 99% of cases causes irreversible dysplasia of internal organs. The gastrointestinal tract is especially affected. It is safe to say that dysplasia is a disease of smokers. Alcohol has a very detrimental effect, especially its systematic use. Alcohols change the morphological and genetic structure of cells, leading to their death or changes in properties.
• Vitamin deficiencies and hypovitaminosis can directly provoke the disease. Vitamins have a beneficial effect on our body, improve immunity, and are important antioxidants. If they are deficient, all these functions are reduced, and the organ becomes more vulnerable to adverse effects.
• Impact of negative environmental factors.
• Hereditary predisposition. Doctors have noticed a pattern that dyspalasia often occurs among generations of the same family and is inherited. This means that this pathology has a dominant gene set.
• Long-term use of medications. These include: hormones, oral contraceptives, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cardiac glycosides, cytostatics and others.
• Exposure to radiation. In this case, the cellular composition can mutate immediately or delayed.
• Poisoning and burns of the mucous membranes with chemicals, acids and alkalis.

What internal factors can influence:

• Immunodeficiency states. These include both primary congenital immunodeficiencies and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS.
• Genetic mutations at the cellular level.
• Chronic endocrine diseases: diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, thyrotoxicosis, hypothyroidism and others.
• Increased secretion of hydrochloric acid by the stomach. Its excess has an aggressive effect on the organ wall.
• Infectious lesions: Helicobacter pylori infection and its carriage, dysentery, salmonellosis, enterovirus infection, etc. Fungal infections in the form of candidiasis.
• Dysbiosis and dysbacteriosis of the gastrointestinal tract.

Symptoms

There are no symptoms of the disease at the initial stage; the disease begins to manifest itself only when the oncological process has already begun, and this is where its danger lies. Therefore, if there is even the slightest hint of dysplasia, the patient is immediately hospitalized and undergoes a full comprehensive examination.

As a rule, symptoms are discovered by chance, during a completely different examination.

Symptoms of the disease include:

• signs of gastritis;
• the presence of ulcers on the mucous membranes of the organ;
• pain after eating;
• increased acidity of gastric juice;
• flatulence and bloating ;
• decreased appetite;
• loss .

If you have or have had relatives with this disease in your immediate environment, you cannot ignore this information. Examination by specialists should be carried out at least once a year.

Treatment of gastric dysplasia with folk remedies

Carrot juice is a folk remedy in the fight against stomach dysplasia.

Recipes that can significantly improve the condition of those suffering from stomach dysplasia:

• Dandelion root (2 parts), calamus root (2 parts), wormwood (3 parts), gentian (2 parts); yarrow (2 parts). The herbs are mixed and poured with boiling water (for 1 tablespoon of the mixture you will need 3 cups of boiling water). All are combined and placed in a steam bath for 20 minutes, then it is advisable to pour the broth into a thermos and rinse the mouth with this broth half an hour before the meal. For one dose - 100 ml of decoction.
• Carrot juice. A freshly squeezed drink should be consumed once a day 50 minutes before a meal. You need to drink carrot juice this way for 10 days.
• Sage decoction. Two tablespoons of herb are measured and 400 ml of boiling water is poured. You need to drink 100 ml 4 times a day.
• Cabbage juice. You need to drink the juice from white cabbage warm within 60 minutes. before meals. The course of prophylaxis should last three weeks. Freshly squeezed cabbage juice can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.
• For this recipe, you need to prepare the following herbs: centaury, knotweed, marshmallow and angelica roots, mint, mantle leaves, motherwort, and sweetgrass flowers. Take all the ingredients one part at a time and steam with boiling water (for 2 tablespoons of herbs you need half a liter of boiling water). Next, you should infuse the decoction in a thermos and take a third of a glass 30 minutes before meals. The course of administration is two months, and a single dosage is 5 times a day.

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Diagnostics

To avoid cancer formation, it is important to diagnose the disease in a timely manner. There are several diagnostic methods:

• examination by a gastroenterologist;
• biopsy of the gastric mucosa, gastric ulcers, tumor formations;
• ultrasound endoscopy;
• histology;
• detection of Helicobacter bacteria;
• biochemical genetics , etc.

Nutrition for gastric dysplasia

For dysplasia, fruit juices are especially beneficial.

At different stages of dysplasia, a different approach to diet may be needed, so the ideal option is to consult a nutritionist, but there are also general principles of the diet.

Drink

In the absence of swelling, it is necessary to drink large amounts of fluid. Juices are especially useful:

• fruit: pear, apple;
• vegetable: carrot, tomato, lettuce, celery, cabbage, beet, etc.
• berry: cherry, currant, cranberry.

Food

When choosing a therapeutic and preventive diet, you need to rely on the following goals:

1. reduction of body weight loss;
2. reducing the risk of complications after surgery;
3. improved disease tolerance;
4. improvement of metabolism;
5. increasing immunity;
6. tissue restoration and regeneration;
7. increasing the body's ability to take heavy loads;
8. improving quality of life.

Treatment

Gastric dysplasia is an extremely dangerous disease. The complications that can arise if the disease is not treated are the most serious, and death cannot be ruled out.

To get rid of the pathology, complex therapy is necessary: ​​the patient must take pharmaceuticals and, if necessary, use invasive methods of therapy. Otherwise, it will be impossible to restore the integumentary pitted epithelium of the stomach.

The disease cannot be cured in a few days. The rehabilitation period takes quite a long time.

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First of all, the sick person must give up any bad habits, in particular smoking and alcohol-containing drinks. It is important to eat properly; canned food, red meat and any foods containing carcinogens must be excluded.

You should reduce the amount of salt consumed and foods containing it. Experts also recommend controlling the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and monitoring the ratio of vegetable and animal fats.

Often patients diagnosed with gastric dysplasia are children and adolescents. That is why those who are predisposed need to be examined twice a year.

Medication

Drug treatment of gastric dysplasia involves the use of antibacterial drugs. To restore the sectoral function of the stomach, metabolic agents are prescribed. If the patient diagnosed with dysplasia is a minor, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. In addition, the specialist prescribes a course of antioxidants. Often you have to drink them for quite a long time.

For adults, antibiotics for gastric dysplasia are not effective, since their gastrointestinal tract has already formed. It should be remembered that any medications must be prescribed by a doctor. Only in this case can we talk about the effectiveness of treatment.

Surgical

When conservative treatment does not bring positive results and there are indications for surgery, the patient undergoes endoscopic resection. The operation is the removal of cancerous or precancerous growths.

A saline solution is injected into the tumor area, and removal is performed using a gripper and an electrocoagulation loop. The duration of the operation depends on the location of the lesion and the size of the tumor.

Treatment process

Treatment of gastric dysplasia is predominantly medicinal. Surgery is indicated only in a few cases, and also when drug therapy is not possible. The basis of drug treatment includes the prescription of the following drugs:

• antibiotics (to exclude inflammatory reactions);
• proton pump inhibitors;
• bismuth preparations.

Medical consultation

Additionally, a course of antioxidants, substances that envelop mucous tissues, vitamin complexes and prebiotics is prescribed to restore gastric microflora. For severe disorders of secretory function, metabolic drugs are used. Among physical therapy, the most effective procedure is a course of hyperbaric oxygenation.

Important! Treatment of gastric dysplasia with folk remedies is not only inappropriate, but can cause even greater harm to health. Alternative treatment will be effective against the background of adequate drug therapy or surgical treatment. Complete treatment is impossible without a proper diet.

Dietary nutrition for dysplasia limits the consumption of carbohydrates, aggressive foods, alcohol and toxic substances. A healthy lifestyle, diet, sleep and wakefulness significantly increase the patient’s chances of a full recovery.

Important! With timely detection of pathology, treatment is much more effective. Treatment of grade 3 gastric dysplasia is complicated by existing oncogenic signs, but with adequate therapy, the progression of the disease can be significantly slowed down.

Forecast

Often patients with this diagnosis are children and adolescents. This is often due to genetic predisposition or poor diet. In any case, they are registered with a gastroenterologist, who must regularly examine and conduct examinations.

To change the clinical picture for the better, it is necessary to adhere to proper nutrition, maintain immunity, and avoid various intestinal infections. In case of timely diagnosis and treatment, a positive result can be achieved in the shortest possible time.

If you have various types of stomach problems, do not put off visiting a doctor. It is important to remember that only an attentive and reverent attitude towards your body will allow you to avoid serious consequences, in particular stomach cancer.

Prevention

To avoid a disease such as gastric dysplasia, it is necessary to follow preventive measures. In particular, you should:

• quit bad habits (stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages);
• adhere to a healthy lifestyle (eat right, eat fruits, exercise, spend more time outdoors);
• monitor the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the daily menu;
• promptly examined by specialists at designated periods if there is a predisposition to the disease;
• promptly treat chronic diseases of the digestive system.