Symptoms
The symptoms of gastritis come on very suddenly with pain and tenderness in the epigastric region, and with a high temperature which after the onset decreases. There is thirst, loss of appetite, and vomiting. The vomited matter is usually sour and may be streaked with blood. If there is an excessive amount of blood it indicates ulcers. This is rather unusual, however, in small children. Vomiting is excited by anything taken into the stomach. The thirst is intense, although the water will be vomited as soon as taken. The tongue is heavily coated and the breath is foul. If these symptoms continue intestinal symptoms will soon develop.
The different kinds of gastritis are given as: catarrhal, ulcerative, membranous and corrosive; but the symptoms are all very much the same and from a chiropractic standpoint a knowledge of the particular pathology would be of no value as the adjustment would be the same. In these cases the difference, or rather specific diagnosis, cannot be made, medically, until after the autopsy. In the ulcerative type the condition is more prolonged and there is a greater tendency to hemorrhage which results in a greater amount of blood in the material vomited. Corrosive gastritis is the result of a corrosive poison being taken into the stomach, such as carbolic acid.