Ulcers are the painful sores which are formed due to breach in the continuity of the lining or covering of an organ. When they occur in stomach they are called stomach ulcers, also known as gastric ulcers. There can be similar type of ulcers present in the small intestine. Both these ulcers are called peptic ulcer and disease associated with them is known as peptic ulcer disease. They can be easily cured but if left untreated there are severe complications. It is estimated that every one out of ten people in the developed countries have an ulcer at some point of the life.
The severity of the symptoms is directly associated with the severity of the ulcers and patients presents with the wide varieties of complaints.
The most common symptoms are
Other common signs and symptoms
Stomach ulcer are generally due to decrease in the protective factors which protects the lining tissue of the stomach from the ill effects of the acid and the two most common reason are
Long term use of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs(NSAIDs) like aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen
Infection with a bacterium known as Helicobacter pylori
The risk of having stomach as well as other peptic ulcer increases if in addition to the causes you
Drink alcohol: alcohol is an irritant which irritates your lining of the stomach, increases the production of acid, worsen the current ulcer.
Smoking: smoking is a known risk factor if you are having Helicobacter pylori in the stomach
Stress: Persons having a lot of stress can have a specific type of ulcers known as stress ulcer
Spicy food
If the ulcer is left untreated then it can bleed or perforate and the patient presents with
This can be a medical emergency and you may need immediate help from a doctor
Your doctor will use your medical history and order some test to establish a diagnosis
Medical history: Your doctor will ask you complete details about
Breath tests: This test is used to rule out the Helicobacter pylori infection, the patient is asked to breath in a bag after drinking a liquid. Increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the breath sample certain the presence of the bacteria.
Endoscopy: Endoscope is a hollow tube through which contains light and the camera. It is passed down through your throat to look for the inside features of the gut. If ulcer is found, biopsy or part of the ulcer can be taken for the laboratory examination.
Barium swallow or Upper GI series: Patient is given barium salt to drink. It is a radiopaque material means it can be easily visualized under x-ray. It gives an outline of the digestive tract and make the ulcer more visible.
The management of the peptic ulcer is based on the removal of the underlying cause either bacteria or irritant medications and reducing the signs and symptoms
Medications
Most patients are treated successfully with the eradication of H. pylori infection, discontinuing of NSAIDs. The recurrence rates of stomach ulcer have decreased due to eradication of H. pylori but the recurrence rate of non-bacterial stomach ulcer is increasing. The mortality rate for peptic ulcer disease has been lowered significantly to about 1 death per 100,000 cases.