Does Ulcer Cause Chest Pain

What Investigations May Be Advised

Your doctor will usually ask you some questions to try to determine the cause of your chest pain. He or she may also examine you. Based on what they find, he or she may advise you to have some investigations, depending on what cause for your chest pain they suspect. Investigations for chest pain can include:

Symptoms Of Stomach Ulcers

Although the most common symptom of a stomach ulcer is a burning or gnawing pain in the centre of the abdomen . Not all stomach ulcers are painful.

Some people experience:

Speak to your GP immediately if:

• your symptoms persist
• youre vomiting blood the blood can appear bright red or have a dark brown, grainy appearance like coffee grounds
• youre passing dark, sticky, tar-like stools
• you feel a sudden, sharp pain in your tummy that gets steadily worse

These could be a sign of a serious complication.

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How Is An Ulcer Diagnosed

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms. They may do an endoscopy. This procedure involves inserting a thin, flexible tube attached to a camera down your throat and into your stomach. Your doctor will test your blood, breath or stool for H. pylori. They also can test a sample of your stomach lining. Your doctor also will ask you if you regularly take aspirin or anti-inflammatory medicines.

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Youre More Bloated Than Usual

If you notice your stomach feeling particularly bloated, it may be more serious than a little bit of gasit could be one of the signs of an ulcer. According to RM Healthy, bloating is often one of the earliest ulcer symptoms, with patients especially complaining of pain in their midsection. Of course, bloating can also be caused simply by eating something your body doesnt agree with or not drinking enough water, but when combined with these other symptoms, its worth checking out.

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Are Esophageal Spasms Dangerous

Esophageal spasms can be disruptive. They sometimes cause pain or trouble swallowing. But the condition isnt considered a serious threat to your health. Esophageal spasms are not known to cause esophageal cancer.

Heartburn-like pain and trouble swallowing are often signs of a routine problem . Less commonly, these symptoms may signal a more serious condition . Always check in with your provider if you experience similar symptoms for longer than two weeks.

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If You’re Worried Get Checked Out

If you have symptoms that you are unsure about, see your healthcare provider. And go to the emergency room if you have chest tightness, break into a sweat, turn pale, become very weak, or faint.

If you have chest discomfort that’s mild or passes when you’re at rest, an emergency visit may not be necessary, but Dr. Alexander Nickens recommended seeing a doctor as soon as possible. A healthcare provider can use a blood test to see if you’ve had a mild heart attack or other heart problems.

Dr. Alexander Nickens also recommended annual checkups for anyone with heart disease risk factors even if they aren’t having any chest pain or discomfort, and more frequent visits for those with specific risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension, which is particularly likely to increase the risk of a heart attack.

If you have chest pain that seems to be stomach-related, antacids should improve symptoms. And taking an aspirin, which is a blood thinner, may bring relief for those suffering from heart problems and decrease the chance of having a heart attack or death, said Dr. Alexander Nickens.

If a heart attack is treated promptlyâwithin 90 minutes of when symptoms startâthe damage to heart muscle may be minimized. “In terms of a heart attack, time is muscle,” said Dr. Gardin.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Peptic Ulcer Does It Cause Pain

Ulcers do not always cause symptoms. Sometimes, a serious complication such as bleeding or a sudden, bad upper abdominal pain is the first sign of an ulcer.

The most common symptom of peptic ulcers is abdominal pain.

• The pain is usually in the upper middle part of the abdomen, above the belly button and below the breastbone.
• The ulcer pain can feel like burning, or gnawing, and it may go through to the back.
• Pain often comes several hours after a meal when the stomach is empty.
• The pain is often worse at night and early morning.
• It can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.
• The ulcer pain may be relieved by food, antacids, or vomiting.

Other symptoms of peptic ulcers include the following:

• Loss of appetite

Severe ulcers may cause bleeding in the stomach or duodenum. Bleeding is sometimes the only symptom of an ulcer. This bleeding can be fast or slow. Fast bleeding reveals itself in one of the following ways:

• Vomiting of blood or dark material that looks something like coffee grounds: This is an emergency and warrants an immediate visit to an emergency department.
• Blood in the stool or black, tarry, sticky-looking stools

Slow bleeding is often more difficult to detect, because it has no dramatic symptoms.

• The usual result is low blood cell count .
• The symptoms of anemia are tiredness , lack of energy , weakness, rapid heartbeat , and pale skin .

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Different Types Of Anxiety Disorders

Each type of anxiety disorder has its own unique symptoms:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

A person with generalized anxiety disorder has frequent or constant feelings of worry and anxiety about issues, such as health, work, social interactions, or everyday situations. These feelings can cause problems in areas of your life such as school, work, and social interactions. In some cases, people with GAD have experienced these feelings since childhood or adolescence, while in other cases, they may have been triggered by temporary stress.

Symptoms include:

Shortness Of Breath And Tightness In Chest: All Possible Causes

The feeling of pressure in the chest combined with shortness of breath is a very common symptomatology. As it is nothing specific, there are many conditions that can present these two symptoms at a time, making it very difficult to detect what condition you may have without the corresponding medical evaluation.

In most cases it is simply one of the first symptoms of anxiety or indigestion, however, there are other more dangerous diseases that can hide behind these symptoms and should not be overlooked.

In this oneHOWTO article you will find the answer to the possible causes of shortness of breath and tightness in chest by covering all the reasons why you may be feeling this sensation.

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When To Get Immediate Help

It is important to try to identify if the cause is serious or life threatening. The information below should not be used to self-diagnose your condition.

It should give you an idea of what is causing your chest pain and whether you need to get emergency help or see your GP. It does not include every possible cause, but describes the most common reasons for chest pain.

You should call 999 for an ambulance immediately if you develop sudden severe chest pain, particularly if:

• the pain is central or band-like and feels heavy, pressing or tight
• the pain lasts longer than 15 minutes
• the pain spreads to other parts of your body, such as your arms, back or jaw
• you are at risk of coronary heart disease for example, you smoke, are obese, or have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol

If you think you could be having a heart attack, call 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance. Do not worry if you have any doubts about whether it is a heart attack. Paramedics would prefer to be called out to find that an honest mistake has been made than to be called out when it is too late to save a person’s life.

If the discomfort is not sudden and severe, or has resolved, it may be more appropriate to see your GP. If your own GP surgery is closed, you should contact your local out of hours service if you are concerned and need advice as to whether you need assessment or treatment.

Asthma Gerd And Breathlessness

Many patients with asthma report heartburn and shortness of breath, as well as regurgitation and dysphagia . This may be, in part, due to the pressure incurred by wheezing and coughing, which can be strong enough to push stomach acid up into the esophagus.

No matter the cause, the link between GERD and asthma is now obvious. Thats why doctors are now on the lookout for GERD in asthmatic patients, especially if:

• they developed asthma in adulthood.
• episodes appear after eating, exercising, or lying down right after a meal.
• their condition continues to worsen despite treatment.

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What Causes A Peptic Ulcer

Causes of peptic ulcers include

• long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as aspirin and ibuprofen
• an infection with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori
• rare cancerous and noncancerous tumors in the stomach, duodenum, or pancreasknown as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

Sometimes peptic ulcers are caused by both NSAIDs and H. pylori.

Pain Below Breastbone Causes Symptoms

Posted by Dr. Chris

Any pain in the chest area, whether high up or lower down, slightly to the left or right of the midline, is naturally a cause for concern especially among adults. Considering that the vital organs like the heart and lungs are located here, breastbone pain is usually taken seriously. For some people like those who are obese, have a history of heart disease and smoke heavily, the concern is much greater. However, it is important to note that the abdomen starts much higher than most of us realize. Pain lower down in the chest area may actually be abdominal pain.

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Fast Facts On Esophageal Ulcers

• They are a type of peptic ulcer that develops in the lining of the esophagus, the tube that connects the throat to the stomach.
• Symptoms include pain or a burning sensation behind or below the sternum, the flat bone that runs down the center of the chest.
• Medications, infections, and exposure to stomach acid are common causes.
• Treatment involves addressing the cause of the ulcer.

An esophageal ulcer is a type of peptic ulcer that develops in the lining of the esophagus, the tube that connects the throat to the stomach.

Esophageal ulcers occur when the layer of mucus, which lines and protects the gastrointestinal tract, wears away.

This allows stomach acid and other gastric juices to irritate the gastrointestinal wall, leading to ulceration.

Aside from a burning pain in the center of the chest, esophageal ulcers typically cause pain or a burning sensation behind or below the sternum, in the center of the chest.

Other symptoms include:

• sour taste in the mouth

How Can I Be Sure Its An Ulcer

The only way to be sure an ulcer is causing your discomfort is with a medical diagnosis. We will evaluate your medical history and conduct a thorough physical examination.

To determine the root cause of your ulcer, we may run blood, stool, or breath tests. These tests are designed to look for signs of helicobacter pylori, the bacteria linked to ulcers.

Depending on your unique symptoms, we may also order an endoscopy. During an endoscopy, we insert a tube with a tiny camera down your throat and into your stomach to take pictures of any potential damage and collect tissue samples for analysis.

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How Is Peptic Ulcer Disease Diagnosed

Your doctor will do a physical exam. They will ask you questions about your medical history. Tell your doctor if you take aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen frequently. Your doctor will look for stomach bloating. They will listen to sounds in your stomach with a stethoscope. Your doctor will tap your stomach to check for pain.

Your doctor may schedule a special procedure to look at your stomach. This is called an endoscopy. For this procedure, youll be given medicine to relax. The medicine may make you fall asleep. The doctor will insert a thin, flexible tube down your throat. A tiny camera on the end of the tube displays the lining of your stomach and duodenum. The doctor may take a sample of your stomach lining . This is done to test for H. pylori. Blood, breath, and stool sample testing can also be used to check for H. pylori.

Treatment For A Stomach Ulcer

Special diets are now known to have very little impact on the prevention or treatment of stomach ulcers. Treatment options can include:

• medication including antibiotics, to destroy the H. pylori colony, and drugs to help speed the healing process. Different drugs need to be used in combination some of the side effects can include diarrhoea and rashes. Resistance to some of these antibiotics is becoming more common
• subsequent breath tests used to make sure the H. pylori infection has been treated successfully
• changes to existing medication the doses of arthritis medication, aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medication can be altered slightly to reduce their contributing effects on the stomach ulcer.
• reducing acid tablets are available to reduce the acid content in the gastric juices
• lifestyle modifications including quitting cigarettes, since smoking reduces the natural defences in the stomach and impairs the healing process.

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What To Expect At Your Office Visit

Your provider may ask questions such as:

• Is the pain between the shoulder blades? Under the breast bone? Does the pain change location? Is it on one side only?
• How would you describe the pain?
• Does it begin suddenly? Does the pain occur at the same time each day?
• Does the pain get better or worse when you walk or change positions?
• Can you make the pain happen by pressing on a part of your chest?
• Is the pain getting worse? How long does the pain last?
• Does the pain go from your chest into your shoulder, arm, neck, jaw, or back?
• Is the pain worse when you are breathing deeply, coughing, eating, or bending?
• Is the pain worse when you are exercising? Is it better after you rest? Does it go away completely, or is there just less pain?
• Is the pain better after you take nitroglycerin medicine? After you eat or take antacids? After you belch?
• What other symptoms do you have?

The types of tests that are done depend on the cause of the pain, and what other medical problems or risk factors you have.

Symptoms Of Peptic Ulcer Disease

The most common symptom is a burning pain in your stomach. It usually lasts for a few minutes to a few hours. It comes and goes for days or weeks at a time. The burning typically occurs between meals and at night. Small ulcers may cause no symptoms.

Other symptoms can include:

• Difficulty drinking as much liquid as usual
• Hunger or an empty feeling in your stomach after you eat
• Stomach pain that wakes you up at night

Less common symptoms include:

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Can Ulcer Affect The Heart

June 16, 2005 — A common bacterial infection implicated in the majority of stomach ulcers may also harm the heart, according to a new study that links H. pylori to the development of an irregular heartbeat. Irregular heart rhythm, also known as atrial fibrillation, causes the heart to beat inefficiently.

How Is Dyspepsia Treated

Most often, medicine can take care of this condition. If you have a stomach ulcer, it can be cured. You may need to take an acid-blocking medicine. If you have an infection called H. pylori in your stomach, you may also need to take antibiotics.

If your doctor thinks that a medicine you’re taking causes your dyspepsia, you might need to try another one.

A medicine that cuts down on the amount of acid in your stomach might help your pain. This medicine can also help if you have acid reflux disease.

Your doctor might want you to have a procedure called an endoscopy if:

• You still have stomach pain after you take a dyspepsia medicine for eight weeks.

• Your doctor thinks you are at risk of serious disease.

During an endoscopy, a small tube with a camera inside it is put into your mouth and down into your stomach. Then your doctor can look inside your stomach to try to find a cause for your pain.

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How Do You Get Rid Of Gerd

GERD is a very common health problem that can impact anyone. It may not be completely avoided, but it can be managed and treated with antacid medications. In addition, dietary changes can help reduce the number of GERD episodes you may experience. If your GERD is very severe, then surgery may be needed.

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For Pulmonary Embolism And Heart Attack

Youll receive blood thinning medication and clot dissolvers for a pulmonary embolism, although your doctor may recommend surgery to remove a life-threatening clot.

Clot-busting medications are also first-line treatments for a heart attack. These medications can dissolve a clot and restore blood flow to your heart.

Healthier lifestyle choices help prevent some causes of chest and abdominal pain.

Some ways include:

• Reducing stress:Relieving some stress in your life could potentially alleviate extreme anxiety and panic disorders.
• Knowing your limits: Dont be afraid to say no and practice stress management techniques such as deep breathing or meditation to control your feelings and emotions.
• Eating slower: Eating slower, eating smaller meals, and avoiding certain types of food may prevent symptoms of:

Some chest and abdominal pain can be mild and resolve within minutes or hours, either on their own or with over-the-counter medication.

Discomfort caused by certain conditions might not require a doctor, such as:

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