Reactive gastropathy
Reactive gastropathy, chemical gastropathy also called gastritis of « C type » or "chemical gastritis" is an abnormality in the stomach caused by chemicals, e.g. bile, alcohol, and characteristically has minimal inflammation.
Cause
Reactive gastropathy has a large number of causes, including:- Alcohol use disorder.
- Bile reflux, such as may be seen post-Billroth II.
- NSAIDs.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis is by examination of tissue, e.g. a stomach biopsy.Relation to gastritis
Reactive gastropathy is morphologically distinct entity that can be separated from gastritis, which by definition has a significant inflammatory component.As a reactive gastropathy may mimic a gastritis symptomatically and visually in an endoscopic examination, it may incorrectly be referred to as a gastritis. Even aware of the underlying etiology of the pathologic process, e.g. NSAID use, the label "chemical gastritis" is applied to a chemical gastropathy.