What are peptic ulcers?
A peptic ulcer is an actual break / sore on the
protective lining of the stomach or the duodenum.
Ulcers on the stomach are known as gastric ulcers and ulcers on the
duodenum are known as duodenal ulcers. Peptic ulcers are a serious medical
condition but with proper treatment can be controlled and in most cases
healed.
What causes peptic ulcers?
Your stomach produces acid and pepsin to help with the digestion of food. Ulcers occur when the acid and pepsin
break the defences and eat away at the lining of the stomach and duodenum.
A major cause of developing a peptic ulcer is a
type of bacteria called Helicobacter Pylori (H.pylori) that lives on
the lining of the stomach and the duodenum. H.pylori acts as an irritant
to the lining of the stomach, causing inflammation of the stomach (known
as gastritis)
the infection may also play a role in the development of stomach
cancer.
Other factors that may play a role in the formations
of ulcers are smoking,
drugs (such as aspirin, use paracetamol instead) and diet. Ulcers may
also be hereditary.
A combination of these factors including H.pylori may combine to cause
peptic ulcers.
Where does H.pylori come from?
Researchers are not certain how H.pylori moves from
the stomach of one person to the next. The H.pylori bacteria may be contagious but little is known about its transmission.
H.pylori is unlike most other bacteria, the acid
in the stomach does not kill it.
What are the symptoms of a peptic ulcer?
Symptoms of ulcers can vary in one person to another
but some of the most common symptoms of an ulcer are as follows:
- Pain or discomfort, which is located in the
upper part of the stomach. Typically the pain is a burning pain and
is often eased by eating something.
- Nausea and/or vomiting.
- Heartburn.
- Bad breath.
Symptoms do not have to be present all the time.
In fact most peoples symptoms come and go even without the use of any
medication. If you have any symptoms that you are worried about you
should discuss your concerns with your doctor.
Are peptic ulcers a common infection?
In Britain, about half the population over middle
age are infected with H.pylori. In Britain men are more prone to suffer
than women.
Am I at risk of getting a peptic ulcer?
Sometimes there is no reason why you have developed
an ulcer. However, you are at risk of developing an ulcer or making
an existing one worse if you smoke, drink alcohol heavily or take medicines such as aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs.
If you take these drugs regularly you should consult your doctor to
ask how you can minimize the effects to your stomach.
How is a peptic ulcer diagnosed?
Your doctor may be able to diagnose a peptic ulcer
from your symptoms alone, however, to confirm the diagnosis you may
need to have an endoscopy or a barium meal. An endoscopy involves a
thin tube with a camera on it being passed down your throat and into
your stomach enabling the doctor to see the stomach and duodenum lining. A barium meal is an X-ray of the stomach
and duodenum. Both these tests will usually be done on an out-patients
basis at your local hospital.
Since it is important to know whether H.pylori is
present your doctor will usually do a blood test, either with, or instead
of an endoscopy to look for the presence of H.pylori antibodies. You
may be again tested after treatment to check that H.pylori has been
eradicated.
How is a peptic ulcer treated?
Your doctor will usually advise you to eat a healthy
diet and to avoid foods that cause you indigestion as well
as to take antacids such as milk of magnesia (available from your pharmacy)
to neutralize the stomach acids. In more severe cases, tablets, which
reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach, are prescribed.
If your ulcer is caused by H.pylori, it should respond
to antibiotics. Almost all H.pylori infections can be eradicated in
2 weeks if the course of treatment is completed. This is why any positive
result from our available test must be followed by
a doctor's visit.
How can H-Pylori and peptic
ulcers effect me in the future?
Peptic ulcers, like mouth ulcers
tend to come and go, and without treatment recurrence is quite common.
If H.pylori infection is successfully treated the chances of the infection
coming back are slim.
If the ulcer is not treated the ulcer may erode
into a blood vessel in the stomach wall, causing severe bleeding. The
symptoms of this are vomiting of blood or if the bleeding is less severe
it can result in dark black stools.
If the ulcer becomes very deep, it can completely penetrate the thickness
of the stomach wall. This is known as a perforated ulcer and can cause
severe sudden pain and collapse. This occurs when acidic contents of
the stomach are leaked out into the abdomen. Both of these conditions
need urgent medical attention, if you notice any of these symptoms contact
your doctor immediately.
Some ulcers can become malignant,
therefore if ulcers are present it is best to have them thoroughly investigated.
Related topics
Gastritis
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