Gastritis primarily affects which body system?

• A. Digestive system
• B. Circulatory system
• C. Nervous system
• D. Endocrine system

Answer: (A)

Gastritis primarily involves the digestive system. It is inflammation of the stomach lining (gastric mucosa), which is a central part of the gastrointestinal tract responsible for chemical and mechanical digestion and for turning food into chyme. Because the stomach’s role is in digestion, problems there are categorized as a digestive-system issue. The stomach produces acid and enzymes needed to break down foods, and inflammation disrupts this function, leading to symptoms like upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. While pain or dehydration from gastritis can affect other body systems secondarily, the primary organ and function involved is digestion, not circulation, nervous signaling, or hormonal regulation in a primary sense.