How Does Stomach Acid Cause Hyperacidity?

The stomach is an organ that is part of the digestive system. The stomach is located in the upper left part of the abdominal cavity, below the diaphragm and next to the liver (Stomach, 2013). The inner walls of the stomach contain small pores called gastric pits. The gastric pits contain cells that secrete chemicals that aid in the digestion of food (Nguyen, 2015). In this essay, I will discuss the different cell types of the stomach, how they work together to provide the overall function of the stomach, why each organ requires different cell types, why the stomach can’t be comprised of just one cell type, and the advantage of having different types of cells.

Therefore, somatostatin works inhibiting the acid secretion acting directly in the parietal cell and in that same way blocking the regulation of gastrin and histamine (Washington.edu, n.d.). Additionally, somatostatin can also inhibit other gastrointestinal hormones like vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and cholecystokinin (CCK) (Utiger, 2011). The clinical use of somatostatin as a drug to reduce the production of gastric acid it is limited due to two critical factors: first, somatostatin has a very short half-life with less than three minutes of action and second, somatostatin can only be produced by the body (Huang, 1997). However, some studies suggest the use of somatostatin analogues in the treatment of reduction of gastric acid. According to Ritz, et al., (1999) Vapreotide, a somatostatin analog was used as testing trial to treat intragastric acidity without positive outcome in the regulation of acidity and mediation of gastrin. Also, they found that Vapreotide can also diminish the contraction of the gallbladder reducing the effects of the biliary functions (Ritz, et al.,

Within the tubular gastrointestinal tract, the ENS is formed by various interconnected networks, called plexuses, of enteric neurons, glial cells, and axons (Widmaier et al. 2014). The majority of these nerve cells are found within two different arrangements of ganglia (Fig. 1): the myenteric (Auerbach’s) plexus and the submucosal (Meissner’s) plexus (Furness 2006; Guyton and Hall 2006). The nerve cells’ axons either synapse with additional neurons in the plexus or innervate the smooth muscle of digestive organs (Furness 2006). Neural activity in one plexus can affect activity in the other since some axons in one plexus synapse with neurons in the other (Fig. 1) (Widmaier et al. 2014). Extrinsic nerve fibers from the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems can also synapse with neurons in each of the two plexuses (Fig. 1) (Guyton and Hall 2006). Though the ENS can function without these nerve pathways, the subsystems of the ANS can influence gastrointestinal activity (Guyton and Hall 2006; Widmaier et al. 2014). An example would include either inhibiting or enhancing the GI tract’s motility and secretory activity through the sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers (Widmaier et al. 2014).

The stomach is an expandable muscular sac that is capable of holding 2-4 liters of food and liquids and breaks them down with the use of pepsinogen, an inactive form pepsin, a protein-digesting enzyme. If the stomach was damaged or dysfunctional, then it would be harder to gradually release food into the small intestine at a rate suitable for proper digestion and absorption and to digest the food because it is not as small or digested because the stomach also assists in the mechanical and chemical breakdown of the food as well as the killing of harmful bacteria due to the high acidic environment due to the hydrochloric acid. (Audesirk, T., & Audesirk, G. (1999). Retrieved November 21, 2015 from Chapter 29: Nutrition and Digestion. In Biology:

Digestion occurs mainly in the gut, formally known as the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Organs in the GI system include the stomach, small and large intestines as well as accessory organs such as the liver, gall bladder and pancreas. Accessory organs are known to provide secretions into the GI tract. These secretions include digestive juices that enter the gut by glands, including salivary glands, gastric glands in the stomach wall, pancreas and wall of the small intestine. Gastrin is a peptide hormone that stimulates secretion of gastric acid by the parietal cells of the stomach and helps gastric motility (Dimaline and Varro, 2014). It is important due to acid production in the stomach for dissolving and digesting some foods and is essential for normal cell growth in the stomach lining, walls of small intestine and colon.

Gastritis is a gastrointestinal disorder in which the lining of the stomach is irritated and inflamed. As a result, the stomach lining’s function of producing acid and enzymes that aid in the breakdown of food for absorption of essential nutrients is impaired, as well as its role in protecting the stomach from acid damage due to reduced mucus secretions. This mucosal inflammation can be attributed to a variety of causes such as: infection, excessive alcohol intake, certain drugs, bile reflux, severe stress, chronic vomiting, autoimmune diseases, and radiation therapy. The two most common causes are bacterial infections, usually associated with H. pylori, and prolonged NSAID use. If this inflammation is damaging enough, it can lead to a reduction

The food then arrives at the stomach in a few seconds. In the stomach secretions there are protein-digesting enzymes (proteases), hydrochloric acid, and mucus. However the major enzyme pepsin is secreted in an inactive form, pepsinogen, to stop it from digesting the cells that produce it. Pepsinogen is activated in the stomach in the presence of hydrochloric acid which is the acid in the stomach that helps digest food. It also helps create the correct environment for the enzymes to function at their best. The mucus lubricates the food, and protects the lining of the stomach wall from being digested

The muscular coat of the stomach helps the breakdown of food to digest it and causes the

Lack of stomach acid is the true cause of most GERD and indigestion symptoms! When patients feel burning, this indicates stomach contents have passed back into the esophagus since the LES valve is still open. The contents are still more acidic (around a pH of 4-6) than what was just ingested, but not acidic enough to signal the LES valve to close (pH of 1-2). The esophageal lining does not have the protective lining that the stomach has to handle acid contents which results in the burning sensation. Over time, this can create esophagitis and chronically can result in Barrett’s esophagitis and increased cancer risk due to the reoccurring damage to the cells in this area.

There are billions of nerve cells, called neurons, located in the nervous system to assist the outer body in reacting. For example, if you are eating a sour lemon the neurons carry the bitter sensation to your brain and then to your taste buds in a matter of seconds to say “hey it’s sour”. The two main neurons that help these types of sensations are the Afferent and Efferent neurons. The afferent neurons are sensory neurons that carry nerve impulses from sensory stimuli towards the CNS. While the efferent neurons are motor neurons that carry impulses away from the central nervous system and towards muscles to cause movement. As a pharmacy technician understating how the Central Nervous System works is very important. Drugs are designed to work inside the body for a certain therapeutic effect; although the technician cannot counsel the patient knowing what a certain drug is for helps aide the technician significantly. The different drug reactions and how it effects the stomach area is a big part of the technician job and it is a part of the CNS. The Central Nervous System and the pharmacy technician are similar in one way; they both carry out the bulk of the work to help a bigger

The gastrointestinal tract is a muscular tube lined by a unique layer of cells, called epithelium. This empty muscular tube begins from the oral cavity, proceeds through the pharynx, esophagus, stomach and intestines to the rectum and anus. There are different appendage organs that help the tract by emitting compounds to separate nourishment into its segment supplements. Subsequently the salivary glands, liver, pancreas and gall bladder have critical tasks in the digestive framework. Sustenance is pushed along the length of the gastrointestinal tract by peristaltic motions of the muscular walls. (“Gastrointestinal System,” 2016)

To begin talking about acid production and secretion, we have first to consider talking about the physiology of the stomach. The stomach consists of three basic parts, the fundus the body and the antrum, which are divided into two glandular regions, the oxyntic, and pyloric mucosa (Lewis, Heitkemper and Dirksen, 2014). In the oxyntic gland mucosa, lays the parietal cells,

Cimetidine treatment for NSAIDs/aspirin induced acid production was discovered upon investigating histamine receptors located on the parietal cells. Histamine receptor activation, triggers acid secretion, consequently, antagonising the histamine receptor decreases the gastric acid production; thus aiming to treat peptic ulcers.

The major limitation that differs dynamic gastric model from real organism is the inability to process active transportation. Without transport channel, molecules could not flow against the gradient. Consequently, the model fails to mimic the property of parietal cells, which the hydrochloric acid is secreted by active transport into the stomach of hydrogen ion against a concentration gradient of about 1 million to 1. Thus, the limitation of the model does show the detail and uniqueness of a living organism.

As you have previously seen, Gastric Acid is very important for our digestion since it helps break down food and protects our bodies from bacteria. So when your body is lacking this acid, it obviously has some negative effects; this phenomenon is called hypochlorhydria. Insufficient Gastric Acid causes the following: