What is the cause of bile reflux

Bile reflux is one of the signs that people have stomach problems. If you have irregular eating habits, you are prone to stomach problems, and in severe cases, bile reflux may occur. If bile reflux occurs, you should pay attention to your diet and eat more light foods, such as porridge, etc., and you should eat less stimulating foods, tobacco, and alcohol. So, what is the cause of bile reflux?

How does bile reflux gastritis occur?

In fact, many people have had symptoms of bile reflux gastritis but don't know it. It is often accompanied by a bitter taste in the mouth, especially when you wake up in the middle of the night and it's more obvious in the morning. This is an obvious feature that you won't be able to detect.

But without knowledge, you wouldn’t think of bile reflux.

The most fundamental reason for bile reflux is pyloric dysfunction, which means there is a problem with the opening and closing of the connection between the stomach and intestines. You should know that after bile is secreted by the gallbladder, it is discharged directly from the duct to the duodenum and does not enter the stomach. When the pyloric closure is disrupted, bile will flow back into the stomach. The bile salts in the bile will react, increasing the secretion of gastric acid, causing damage to the gastric mucosa and triggering gastritis.

What causes bile reflux?

1. Eating too fast or too full

Since the rate of gastrointestinal emptying is relatively fixed, when eating too fast or eating too much, food cannot enter the intestines smoothly, which can also induce bile reflux.

2. Pyloric relaxation

After the pyloric function is disturbed, it is in a state of relaxation continuously. Bile reflux gastritis is caused by the bile and other intestinal fluids in the duodenum mixing together, flowing back into the stomach through the pylorus, stimulating the gastric mucosa and causing inflammation. After the lesion occurs, bile reflux gastritis is formed.

3. Irregular eating schedule

The gastrointestinal tract has its own physiological frequency, so it is generally recommended that meal times should be relatively stable. If you often eat at irregular times, it will cause reflux due to a relative lack of power after eating because the gastrointestinal tract has been "resting".

4. Postoperative complications

For some patients who have undergone gastrectomy and gastrojejunostomy, patients with pyloric dysfunction and chronic biliary tract disease, bile can flow directly back into the stomach, which can easily cause bile reflux gastritis.

What should patients with bile reflux gastritis pay attention to?

1. Avoid spicy food

In daily diet, patients should try to avoid eating irritating foods, such as chili peppers, peppercorns, curry, etc., as these foods will seriously irritate the gastric mucosa. Not only spicy foods can irritate the gastric mucosa, but there are also many medicines in life that can also cause varying degrees of irritation to the gastric mucosa, such as aspirin, indomethacin, analgesics and phenylbutazone.

2. Low-fat diet

It can be said that a low-fat diet is the key to the dietary treatment of bile reflux gastritis. If the fat content in the food is too high, it will seriously stimulate the secretion of cholecystokinin and also lead to a decrease in the tension of the lower esophageal sphincter, thereby promoting gastroesophageal reflux and causing various discomfort symptoms to the patient.

3. Avoid drinking and smoking

Because tobacco contains nicotine, it can reduce the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter, causing it to relax and aggravate reflux. Smoking can also reduce the blood flow to the esophageal mucosa, inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins, reduce the body's resistance, and make it difficult to recover from inflammation.