What Is A Duodenal Ulcer And How Is It Caused

Can You Prevent A Peptic Ulcer

While stress and spicy foods can make symptoms of a peptic ulcer worse, they donât seem to make you more likely to have one. But a few other things can raise your chances.

Be careful when you take pain relievers. Some people who have arthritis or other conditions that cause chronic pain take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for weeks or months at a time to ease pain and swelling. These medicines can affect the mucus that protects your stomach against acid and make you more likely to have peptic ulcers.

These pain relievers include:

You’re more likely to get an ulcer while taking one of these if you:

• Are over age 65
• Are infected with H. pylori bacteria
• Take more than one NSAID at a time
• Have had a peptic ulcer in the past
• Also take a steroid drug or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

To lower your chances for peptic ulcers while you take NSAIDs:

• Use the lowest possible dose to control your symptoms, and stop taking them as soon as you no longer need them.
• Take your medicine with food.
• Don’t drink alcohol while youâre taking these medicines.

While you’re on NSAIDs, you can take medicine to lower the amount of acid your stomach makes. Drugs that can do that include:

• H2 blockers such as cimetidine , famotidine , and nizatidine

You can also take the drug misoprostol to boost the amount of protective mucus your stomach makes. But that can cause side effects like diarrhea and stomach cramps.

You can do some things to make an infection less likely:

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Prevention Of Peptic Ulcers

Using alternatives to NSAIDs, like acetaminophen, to relieve pain can help prevent peptic ulcers. If you need to use an NSAID, opt for the lowest dose and take it with a meal.

Peptic ulcers caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori are not usually preventable, but good hygiene such as washing your hands thoroughly before eating and after using the bathroom may help limit the spread.

Treatment For A Duodenal Ulcer

If your ulcer is caused by H pylori, the usual treatment is ‘triple therapy’. This involves taking 2 antibiotics to kill the bacteria, and a medicine to reduce the amount of acid made by your stomach.

If you don’t have an H. pylori infection, and you have been using anti-inflammatory drugs, you will need to stop taking them and to start taking a drug to reduce acid production by your stomach.

Taking antacids, drinking less alcohol, and quitting smoking if you smoke may also help.

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How Are Stomach Ulcers Diagnosed

Diagnosis and treatment will depend on your symptoms and the severity of your ulcer. To diagnose a stomach ulcer, your doctor will review your medical history along with your symptoms and any prescription or over-the-counter medications youre taking.

To rule out H. pylori infection, a blood, stool, or breath test may be ordered. With a breath test, youll be instructed to drink a clear liquid and breathe into a bag, which is then sealed. If H. pylori is present, the breath sample will contain higher-than-normal levels of carbon dioxide.

Other tests and procedures used to diagnose stomach ulcers include:

• Barium swallow: You drink a thick white liquid that coats your upper gastrointestinal tract and helps your doctor see your stomach and small intestine on X-rays.
• Endoscopy : A thin, lighted tube is inserted through your mouth and into the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This test is used to look for ulcers, bleeding, and any tissue that looks abnormal.
• Endoscopic biopsy: A piece of stomach tissue is removed so it can be analyzed in a lab.

General Symptoms Of A Duodenal Ulcer

• Pain in the upper tummy simply below the breastbone is the typical sign. It usually comes and goes. It may take place most previously meals, or when you are starving. It might be alleviated if you consume food, or take antacid tablets. The pain might wake you from sleep.
• Other symptoms which may occur consist of bloating, retching, and sensation sick. You might feel especially complete after a meal. Often food makes the pain even worse.
• Issues happen in some cases and can be major. These include:
• Bleeding ulcer. This can range from a drip to a life-threatening bleed.
• Perforation. The ulcer goes right through the wall of the first part of the small intestinal tract . Food and acid in the duodenum then leakage into the stomach cavity. This usually triggers severe pain and is a medical emergency.

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How Do Stomach Ulcers Affect Your Lifestyle

Stomach ulcers can cause a loss of appetite and weight loss which can lead to malnutrition. If you have stomach pain, you may feel nauseous and vomit blood or black material. You might also experience heartburn if the stomach ulcer is near the esophagus as well as bloating, feeling full after eating only a small amount of food, and stomach cramps. All of these symptoms can affect your quality of life by making it difficult to eat, work, or socialize. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please talk to your doctor. They will be able to help you get relief from your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

How Can I Prevent Ulcers

You may be able to prevent ulcers from forming if you:

• Talk to your doctor about alternatives to NSAID medications to relieve pain.
• Discuss protective measures with your doctor, if you cant stop taking an NSAID.
• Opt for the lowest effective dose of NSAID and take it with a meal.
• Quit smoking.
• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.

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How Do Tumors From Zes Cause Peptic Ulcers

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is a rare disorder that happens when one or more tumors form in your pancreas and duodenum. The tumors release large amounts of gastrin, a hormone that causes your stomach to produce large amounts of acid. The extra acid causes peptic ulcers to form in your duodenum and in the upper intestine.

How Do You Prevent Stomach Ulcers

To reduce your risk of developing a peptic ulcer:

Then, what is the main cause of ulcers?

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How are stomach ulcers caused?

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Can stress cause an ulcer in the stomach?

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Pearls And Other Issues

In younger patients who have duodenal ulcers that are distal to the duodenal bulb, always check a fasting gastrin level to evaluate for a hyper-gastrin state, such as gastrinoma. In older patients with the same finding, consider CT angiography, especially of the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery, to assess chronic ischemia.

Can An Ulcer Be Cured

Ulcers, commonly referred to as ââGastric ulcersââ or ââPeptic ulcersââ are open sores whose developmental sites are stomach and duodenum. The treatment of ulcers depend upon its cause and it usually gets healed in a month or two. Recommended treatment involves medication such as Antibiotics and Proton Pump inhibitors in case of bacterial infection or the same in combination with NSAIDS.

Alternative medications include H2-receptor antagonists, antacids etc. In addition, avoiding stress, alcohol, smoking, spicy foods etc. may help.

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More Information On Duodenal Ulcer

Tips to help prevent a duodenal ulcer

To prevent recurrences of duodenal ulcers, some lifestyle changes are recommended and these include:

• Eat a high fiber diet that consists of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods
• Avoid sugary foods that secretes acid
• Exercise regularly
• Reduce alcohol consumption and caffeine intake
• Stop smoking
• Avoid medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen
• Learn to manage stress by practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga

What Are The Symptoms Of Peptic Ulcers

Each persons symptoms may vary. In some cases ulcers dont cause any symptoms.

The most common ulcer symptom is a dull or burning pain in your belly between your breastbone and your belly button . This pain often occurs around meal times and may wake you up at night. It can last from a few minutes to a few hours.

Less common ulcer symptoms may include:

• Feeling full after eating a small amount of food
• Burping
• Bloody or black stool
• Vomiting blood

Peptic ulcer symptoms may look like other health problems. Always see your healthcare provider to be sure.

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Symptoms And Signs Of Peptic Ulcer Disease

Symptoms of peptic ulcer disease depend on ulcer location and patient age many patients, particularly older patients, have few or no symptoms. Pain is most common, often localized to the epigastrium and relieved by food or antacids. The pain is described as burning or gnawing, or sometimes as a sensation of hunger. The course is usually chronic and recurrent. Only about half of patients present with the characteristic pattern of symptoms.

Gastric ulcer symptoms often do not follow a consistent pattern . This is especially true for pyloric channel ulcers, which are often associated with symptoms of obstruction caused by edema and scarring.

Duodenal ulcers tend to cause more consistent pain. Pain is absent when the patient awakens but appears mid-morning and is relieved by food but recurs 2 to 3 hours after a meal. Pain that awakens a patient at night is common and is highly suggestive of duodenal ulcer. In neonates, perforation and hemorrhage may be the first manifestation of duodenal ulcer. Hemorrhage may also be the first recognized sign in later infancy and early childhood, although repeated vomiting or evidence of abdominal pain may be a clue.

Gastric Ulcer: What It Is Symptoms Causes And Treatment

The gastric ulcer, also known as peptic ulcer or stomach ulcer, is a wound that forms in the tissue that has the stomach, caused by various factors, such as malnutrition or infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori , for example.

The presence of this ulcer leads to the onset of some symptoms, such as stomachache, nausea and vomiting, especially after eating, even though it also might not show any symptoms for too long. Normally, the presence of an ulcer is not a very serious situation, and it should be treated with antiacidic medications, which prevent the gastric juice present in the stomach from making the wound even greater.

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What Are The Causes Of Ulcers

Causes of ulcers are as follows:

• Stomach Ulcers are more likely to develop in people having a sedentary lifestyle or poor eating habits.
• Oesophageal ulcers often result from exposure to medications such as certain antibiotics or anti-inflammatories and alcohol abuse.
• Ulcers also form as a result of excessive stomach acid secretion, consuming fatty and oily foods, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco. All of these factors contribute to a build-up of stomach acids which decay the protective lining of the stomach, esophagus and duodenum.
• According to a recent theory, bacterial infection is also one of the causes of peptic ulcers. For example, H.pylorii is present in 80% of stomach ulcers and 90% of duodenal ulcers.
• Overuse of over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen, alcohol consumption, psychological stress and smoking exacerbate the formation of ulcers, especially in those with H.pylori.
• Stomach ulcers are more probable to occur in elderly people. With advancing age, the pylorus relaxes and allows excess bile to seep up into the stomach which erodes the stomach lining.
• People with type A blood group are more prone to get cancerous stomach ulcers.
• Duodenal ulcers develop in those who have an O blood group type. This is because people of this blood group are unable to produce certain substances on the surface of blood cells that protect the lining of the duodenum.

Symptoms Of Duodenal Ulcers

A recent survey in Sweden showed that 4% of the general population have either a stomach ulcer or a duodenal ulcer but it is common to show no symptoms whatsoever. Some people have mild symptoms which come and go, so they are ignored, but a duodenal ulcer is unlikely to heal without treatment.

Milder symptoms of a duodenal ulcer include a feeling of being full very quickly, feeling sick, heartburn, a bitter taste in the mouth and, in the longer term, weight loss. Symptoms that are more difficult to cope with include:

• Pain in the abdomen/stomach region, typically just under the V of the ribcage, often described as a burning sensation. Pain may appear after eating, almost immediately with gastric ulcers and 2-3 hours later with duodenal ulcers, reflecting the time it takes for food to reach that part of the gut. Pain can sometimes occur as much as 5 hours later, which may result in disturbed sleep.
• Passing blood, which makes the stools turn black with a tar-like consistency.
• Vomiting blood, which can be bright red or take the appearance of small, dark granules .

Occasionally, the duodenal ulcer can extend right through the intestinal wall, and you develop a perforated ulcer. The gut contents can leak out through the hole, causing severe infection. A ruptured duodenal ulcer is a medical emergency and will require surgery.

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How Is A Duodenal Ulcer Diagnosed

To help diagnose a duodenal ulcer, your doctor will ask you what medications you take or have been taking, and if you have had peptic ulcers or any other relevant condition in the past. Make sure you mention all the medications you are taking, especially NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, or ketorolac.

Your doctor will also conduct a physical examination, to check for bloating or lumps within your abdomen, and to listen for bowel sounds. Make sure you mention any areas of pain or tenderness.

Blood may also be taken to test for infection or anemia and testing may also be conducted for Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium commonly associated with peptic ulcers. Testing usually involves either a breath test, stool sample, or biopsy. To get a clear picture of the inside of your stomach and small intestines, doctors may use an endoscope , a series of X-rays and/or a CT scan.

What Is A Peptic Ulcer

A peptic ulcer is an open sore in the digestive tract. These sores are most often caused by an infection of H. Pylori or long term use of NSAIDs such as Aspirin and Ibuprofen

Peptic ulcers are categorized into 2 groups according to their location:

• Gastric ulcers, ulcers that occur in the stomach
• Duodenal ulcers, ulcers occurring in the duodenum, on the inside of the upper portion of the small intestine.

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Stomach Ulcers: What Causes Them Symptoms And Treatment

| Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Prevention

A stomach ulcer is a sore or hole in the stomach lining and is also known as peptic ulcer disease. A stomach ulcer can cause pain and discomfort, but often people with stomach ulcers do not have any symptoms at all. Find out more about what causes stomach ulcers, how they are diagnosed, and how to treat them.

Signs And Symptoms Of Stomach Ulcers

Symptoms of stomach ulcers may be different for each person, and some people may not have any symptoms at all. Most people feel pain, but not every stomach ulcer causes stomach pain. The most common signs and symptoms of a stomach ulcer are:

Stomach pain

The first indication that you might have a gastric ulcer is a burning feeling in your abdomen. Typically, you can feel this pain somewhere between your breastbone and belly button.

Normally, gastric ulcers cause pain while food is still in the stomach, so while youre still eating or soon afterwards. If you experience pain when your stomach is empty, like in the middle of the night, you may have a duodenal ulcer. It is a different type of peptic ulcer that occurs in the upper small intestines, rather than in the stomach.

Indigestion

Apart from stomach pain, you may also experience indigestion or heartburn. These symptoms can cause you to feel bloated or to burp more than normal.

Nausea

Nausea is another symptom of peptic ulcers. If your ulcer tears, it can start bleeding. This can cause you to feel especially nauseated and you may vomit up blood.

Loss of appetite

Having an ulcer can cause you to lose your appetite or not feel hungry. You may also feel full even though youve only eaten a small amount of food. These symptoms can cause you to lose weight quickly and unexpectedly.

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Diagnosis Of A Duodenal Ulcer

To diagnose a duodenal ulcer, your doctor will talk to you and examine you. They will probably also run some tests, which could include:

• a gastroscopy , where a specialist uses a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end to look inside your stomach and duodenum
• a blood test, stool sample, or breath test to find out if you have a H. pylori in your system

If you have a gastroscopy, the surgeon might take a sample of tissue to test for H. pylori.

Treatments For Stomach Ulcers

Most peptic ulcers take a month or two to heal with treatment. Theres a small chance that they may come back in the future.

If the cause of your ulcer is an H. pylori bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics to kill off the infection. This also reduces your chances of developing another ulcer in the future.

Stomach ulcers caused by NSAIDs are treated with a medication called proton pump inhibitors . This medication helps to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach, allowing the ulcer to heal. Your doctor may also recommend that you take paracetamol instead of NSAIDs.

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