What is gastritis and how long does it last?
Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining, and how long it lasts depends on its cause: with alcohol, damage had healed within 24 hours in volunteers (to be verified), while the bacterium H. pylori usually stays until it is treated. 43.9% of adults worldwide carried it between 2015 and 2022 (Chen, 2024).
Schematic drawings, not to scale, no patient photos. Dotted lines are estimates between measured points.
Why does the stomach lining become inflamed?
The lining in cross-section: acid on one side, protective mucus, glands underneath. Choose a cause; tap a label to find out what it is.
Who attacks, who protects?
Sources: pH (Dressman, 1990; Allen and Flemström, 2005); bacterium (Chen, 2024; Marshall, 1985; Ford, 2020); anti-inflammatories (Castellsague, 2012; Bjarnason, 2018; Scally, 2018); alcohol (Franke, to be verified); autoimmune (Lenti, 2020). These are group averages: they do not predict any individual case.
Can gastritis turn into cancer?
Rarely, and in steps. Tap a step: the lining under the microscope on the left, the measured cancer risk on the right. Reaching one step does not mean the next will follow.
Sources: sequence of steps (Correa, 1992); risks (de Vries, 2008, Dutch registry, biopsies from 1991 to 2004); after treatment (Uemura, 2001; Ford, 2020). Drawings made for this page, not biopsy photos.
Frequently asked questions about gastritis
Does gastritis heal on its own?
It depends on the cause. In a study of volunteers, alcohol-related lesions had healed at 24 hours (to be verified). H. pylori gastritis usually lasts as long as the bacterium stays, and the autoimmune form does not heal: its effects are made up for (Lenti, 2020).
How do you know you have gastritis?
Burning is not enough: the diagnosis is made under the microscope, on biopsies taken during an endoscopy. The bacterium can also be looked for in other ways, in the breath or stool (Malfertheiner, 2022, to be verified).
Gastritis or ulcer: what is the difference?
Gastritis is an inflammation, sometimes with small surface erosions. An ulcer is a deeper wound that goes through the mucosa. See the page on ulcers.
Should H. pylori be treated if I have no symptoms?
That is something to discuss with a doctor. In healthy people, eliminating it lowers the risk of stomach cancer (relative risk 0.54), mostly according to East Asian trials, with no change in all-cause mortality (Ford, 2020).
True or false?
Gastritis always hurts.
False. Many people feel no discomfort, including in the autoimmune form (Lenti, 2020); H. pylori gastritis can also stay silent (Maastricht VI, to be verified).
A doctor swallowed the bacterium to prove its role.
True. Barry Marshall: normal lining before, gastritis on biopsies on day 10 (Marshall, 1985).
Gastritis almost always ends in cancer.
False. Even at the atrophy stage, the measured risk is 0.1% per year, or about 1 case per 1,000 people per year (de Vries, 2008).
This page as text
The same information as the charts, to read without animation: for each chart, the values at the main moments, then the notes with their level of evidence.
How many adults carry H. pylori worldwide?
About 4 in 10 adults: 43.1% according to Li (2011 to 2022), 43.9% according to Chen (2015 to 2022). The 2 studies do not count the same way. Dotted lines: estimates between the measured periods.
| Years | Li, 2023: 58.2 then 43.1% (dotted) | Chen, 2024: 52.6 then 43.9% (dotted) | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 58 | 53 | first periods measured |
| 2000 | 51 | 49 | estimate between 2 measured periods |
| 2020 | 43 | 44 | latest periods measured |
Key points
- According to Li, 2023 (Throughout, Shown in humans)
58.2% of adults between 1980 and 1990, then 43.1% between 2011 and 2022. Source: Li et al., "Global prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection between 1980 and 2022: a systematic review and meta-analysis," Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2023 - According to Chen, 2024 (Throughout, Shown in humans)
52.6% of adults before 1990, then 43.9% between 2015 and 2022. Source: Chen et al., "Global Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Incidence of Gastric Cancer Between 1980 and 2022," Gastroenterology, 2024 - How to read these lines (Throughout, Hypothesis)
We placed each point within its period: the middle of the period, or 1988 for "before 1990." Between the 2 points, the line is an estimate; before and after, it stays flat. Nothing was measured year by year.
What happens to patients depending on the lesion found?
Share of patients with stomach cancer within 5 years, by the lesion seen on biopsy: from 0.5% for atrophy to about 6% for severe dysplasia (de Vries, 2008). The top of the chart is 8%, not 100%.
| Years | Severe dysplasia: about 6% in 5 years (dotted) | Mild or moderate dysplasia: 3% in 5 years (calculated) (dotted) | Intestinal metaplasia: 1.25% in 5 years (calculated) (dotted) | Atrophy: 0.5% in 5 years (calculated) (dotted) | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biopsy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | At biopsy |
| 1 year | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | s after biopsy |
| 2 years | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | after biopsy |
| 3 years | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | after biopsy |
| 4 years | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | after biopsy |
| 5 years | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | after biopsy |
Key points
- The measured rates (Throughout, Shown in humans)
Atrophy: 0.1% cancers per year. Intestinal metaplasia: 0.25% per year. Mild or moderate dysplasia: 0.6% per year. Severe dysplasia: about 6% in 5 years, a cumulative figure. Source: de Vries et al., "Gastric cancer risk in patients with premalignant gastric lesions: a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands," Gastroenterology, 2008 - Who was followed? (Throughout, Shown in humans)
A Dutch registry, biopsies from 1991 to 2004: 22,365 patients with atrophy, 61,707 with metaplasia, 7,616 with mild or moderate dysplasia, 562 with severe dysplasia. These patients had a biopsy: they do not represent the general population. Source: de Vries et al., "Gastric cancer risk in patients with premalignant gastric lesions: a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands," Gastroenterology, 2008 - Our calculation (Throughout, Hypothesis)
For the 3 yearly rates: rate × 5 years, simple addition, dotted. These lines do not come from the article and do not describe what happens year by year.
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Metabolive. "What is gastritis and how long does it last?" Updated November 1, 2026. https://metabolive.com/en/everyday/gastritis.
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