Can Gastritis Cause Nausea?
Yes, gastritis commonly causes nausea, along with vomiting and other upper gastrointestinal symptoms, as part of its characteristic clinical presentation. 1
Clinical Presentation of Gastritis
Gastritis presents with a constellation of upper gastrointestinal symptoms that include:
- Nausea is a cardinal symptom of gastritis, frequently occurring alongside other manifestations 1
- Vomiting commonly accompanies the nausea in gastritis patients 2
- Epigastric pain or burning during or after meals is characteristic 1
- Postprandial abdominal fullness and bloating occur frequently 1, 2
- Early satiety may be present 1
- Loss of appetite is reported in many cases 2
Pathophysiologic Mechanism
The nausea in gastritis results from:
- Chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa with varying degrees of epithelial damage 3, 4
- Gastric dysmotility that can develop secondary to the inflammatory process, leading to delayed gastric emptying in some patients 1
- Helicobacter pylori infection, the primary cause of chronic gastritis, directly triggers upper GI symptoms including nausea through mucosal inflammation 5, 2
Distinguishing Gastritis from Other Causes
When evaluating nausea potentially related to gastritis, consider:
- Upper endoscopy is essential to confirm gastritis and exclude other structural causes like peptic ulcer disease or malignancy 6
- Gastritis overlaps significantly with functional dyspepsia, which affects approximately 20% of the general population and presents with similar symptoms 1
- Gastroparesis must be differentiated, as it shares an indistinguishable symptom profile but requires gastric emptying scintigraphy for diagnosis 1, 7
- Marginal ulcer or severe gastritis is characterized by pain during meals, acid reflux, and nausea, confirmed via gastroscopy 1
Important Clinical Caveats
Approximately 50% of chronic gastritis cases are associated with dyspeptic symptoms including nausea, though many patients remain asymptomatic 4. The presence of nausea does not correlate directly with the severity of histological gastritis 4.
H. pylori-associated gastritis is responsible for upper GI symptoms including nausea in the majority of infected patients, and eradication therapy can resolve these symptoms 2, 8.
Chronic atrophic gastritis, the end-stage of long-standing inflammation, may cause additional symptoms related to malabsorption (vitamin B12, iron, calcium) beyond the typical nausea and dyspepsia 5, 4.