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What Are The Symptoms Of Peptic Ulcers

Pain of Duodenal Ulcer Improves on eatingâ¦Ever Wonder Why?

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.

Do Stomach Ulcers Go Away

Treatment Overview Left untreated, many ulcers eventually heal. But ulcers often recur if the cause of the ulcer is not eliminated or treated. If ulcers keep coming back, you have an increased risk of developing a serious complication, such as bleeding or a hole in the wall of your stomach or intestine.

How To Treat Mouth Ulcers

Mouth ulcers dont usually need to be treated, because they tend to clear up by themselves within a week or two.

However, treatment can help to reduce swelling and ease any discomfort. This may help if you keep getting mouth ulcers or your mouth ulcer affects eating and drinking.

Self care

Things you can do to speed up healing include:

  • applying a protective paste recommended by your pharmacist
  • using a soft toothbrush to brush your teeth
  • using a toothpaste that doesnt contain sodium lauryl sulphate, as this may be irritating
  • avoiding hard, spicy, salty, acidic or hot food and drink until the ulcer heals
  • using a straw to drink cool drinks
  • avoiding things that may be triggering your mouth ulcers see causes, below

Pharmacy medicines

You can get several types of mouth ulcer treatment from a pharmacy. Speak to your pharmacist about the best treatment for you. Options include the following:

Medicines from your dentist or GP

If necessary, you may be prescribed a course of stronger corticosteroids to help reduce pain and swelling, and speed up healing.

Corticosteroids are available on prescription as tablets, mouthwash, paste or spray, but are not suitable for children under 12.

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What Causes Stomach Ulcers

Stomach ulcers occur when the layer that protects the stomach lining from stomach acid breaks down, which allows the stomach lining to become damaged.

This is usually a result of:

It used to be thought that stress or certain foods might cause stomach ulcers, but there’s little evidence to suggest this is the case.

Read more about the causes of stomach ulcers.

Youre More Bloated Than Usual

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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.

Dont miss these home remedies for bloating.

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Living With Peptic Ulcer Disease

Most ulcers heal within about 8 weeks. Peptic ulcers come and go. You have to do what you can to reduce your risk. If you smoke or chew tobacco, ask your doctor about how to quit. Eat a well-balanced diet. Avoid foods that cause discomfort. These include alcohol, coffee, caffeinated soda, fatty foods, chocolate, and spicy foods. Avoid eating late at night. Talk to your doctor about alternatives to NSAIDs. Take all medicines with plenty of water.

What Is The Difference Between A Stomach Ulcer And A Peptic Ulcer

A peptic ulcer is a sore on the lining of your stomach, small intestine, or esophagus. A gastric ulcer develops in the stomach a duodenal ulcer develops in the first part of the small intestine and an esophageal ulcer develops in the lower part of the esophagus.

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What Is An Ulcer And Gastritis

Gastritis and an ulcer are conditions that affect the stomach and small intestine, and they share many symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and weight loss. There are many differences, though. Gastritis and an ulcer both inflame the stomach lining, but gastritis is a general inflammation, and an ulcer is a patch of eroded stomach lining. Though gastritis and an ulcer share symptoms, an intense, localized pain is much more common with an ulcer, and an ulcer also carries the risk of bleeding, cancer and eventual stomach perforation. Doctors use a variety of techniques to diagnose each specific ailment, and the methods of treatment vary as well.

The Ulcer Pain Can Feel Like Burning Or Gnawing And It May Go Through To The Back

Real Questions | Stomach Ulcers

But some stomach ulcers aren’t painful and are only noticed when a complication of a stomach ulcer develops, such as bleeding from the ulcer. Stomach pain at night is a symptom that may be specific for certain diseases but typically other clinical features will be evident. Pain at night is due to an empty stomach.

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Treatment Prevention And Medication

Many people go to their family doctors when they first experience the symptoms of a stomach ulcer. Your doctor can prescribe medications that might help your ulcer, or they can refer you to a gastroenterologist for further examination.

A gastroenterologist can carry out tests to look at your ulcers, such as an endoscopy and biopsies. A gastroenterologist can also treat the ulcer.

If tests confirm that H. pylori is the cause of your ulcer, your doctor will give you antibiotics to kill the bacteria. You might also need to take medication to reduce the amount of acid your stomach makes. There are two types of acid-reducing medication: proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers. These medications work in slightly different ways, but they both reduce acid production, allowing your ulcer to heal.

In rare cases, such as when the ulcer works its way through the stomach wall, you might need surgery to treat a stomach ulcer. However, medication can cure most ulcers.

Your Appetite Went Mia

For many patients with ulcers, the condition can actually result in a loss of appetite. This drop in food intake, combined with occasional vomiting, may lead to unexpected weight loss. Some ulcer patients report eating their normal amount of food, yet still lose weight, so the ulcer itself may cause a drop on the scale, too.

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Is There A Peptic Ulcer Diet Plan

No particular diet is helpful for people with peptic ulcers. At one time, a bland diet and avoidance of spicy or greasy foods was recommended. Milk and dairy food have been used in the past for ulcer symptoms, but have not been proven to be effective. We now know diet has little effect on ulcers. In some people, however, certain foods seem to aggravate stomach ulcer symptoms. Keep a food diary with your intake and the resulting symptoms and avoid eating any foods that aggravate symptoms.

Youve Had Unexplained Vomiting

Peptic Ulcers Treatment &  Help for Stomach Ulcers for ...

From time to time, the nausea brought on by ulcers may become so intense that it could actually cause you to vomit. Frequent vomiting is never a fun experience, but whatever you do, stay away from medications like ibuprofen and aspirin when treating the condition and other ulcer symptoms. According to Dr. Sengupta, these over-the-counter pain medications actually put you at a higher risk of developing ulcers, and can make your current ulcers worse.

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Stages And Types Of Stomach Ulcers

If you dont get treatment for a stomach ulcer, it can develop into a more serious condition:

  • Bleeding: Your ulcer can bleed, which may cause your stools to look dark and can lead to anemia.
  • Perforation: The ulcer can become so severe that it creates a hole in the wall of the stomach out of which food can leak, which is a severe situation, but it is rare.

How Do Symptoms Differ

One way of telling if you may have a gastric or duodenal ulcer is to figure out where and when your symptoms occur. For some, the time between meals aggravates an ulcer. For others, eating may be a trigger for the pain.

The exact location of the pain doesnt always match up with the location of the ulcer, though. Sometimes the pain is referred. This means that a person may have pain in a location away from the actual ulcer.

Other symptoms can include:

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How Do I Know If I Have An Ulcer Or Gastritis

There are several distinctions between the two conditions. Both conditions cause stomach lining inflammation, but gastritis is a generalized inflammation, while an ulcer is a patch of inflamed stomach lining. Ulcers cause intense, localized pain which can lead to cancer, bleeding, and stomach perforation.

Treating Helicobacter Pylori Infection

What Triggers a Peptic Ulcer?

If your stomach ulcer’s caused by a Helicobacter pylori bacterial infection, you’ll be given:

  • a course of antibiotics
  • a medication called a proton pump inhibitor

This is also recommended if it’s thought your stomach ulcer’s caused by a combination of an H. pylori infection and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs .

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What Is The Fastest Way To Cure A Stomach Ulcer

Consult your doctor before including these items in your diet:

  • Flavonoids are a type of flavonoid. Flavonoids, also known as bioflavonoids, can be an important additional treatment for stomach ulcers, according to research.
  • Licorice that has been deglycyrrhizinated.
  • Probiotics are beneficial bacteria.
  • What Is The Cause Of Peptic Ulcers

    When you eat, your stomach produces hydrochloric acid and an enzyme called pepsin to digest the food.

    • The food is partially digested in the stomach and then moves on to the duodenum to continue the process.
    • Peptic ulcers occur when the acid and enzyme overcome the defense mechanisms of the gastrointestinal tract and erode the mucosal wall.

    In the past it was thought that ulcers were caused by lifestyle factors such as eating habits, cigarettesmoking, and stress.

    • Now it is understood that people with ulcers have an imbalance between acid and pepsin coupled with the digestive tract’s inability to protect itself from these harsh substances.
    • Research done in the 1980s showed that some ulcers are caused by infection with a bacterium named Helicobacter pylori, usually called H pylori.
    • Not everyone who gets an ulcer is infected with H pylori. Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can cause ulcers if taken regularly.

    Some types of medical therapy can contribute to ulcer formation. The following factors can weaken the protective mucosal barrier of the stomach increasing the chances of getting an ulcer and slow the healing of existing ulcers.

    • Aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , and newer anti-inflammatory medications
    • Alcohol
    • Cigarettesmoking
    • Radiation therapy:-used for diseases such as cancer

    People who take aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medications are at an increased risk even if they do not have H pylori infection.

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    What Causes A Peptic Ulcer

    Causes of peptic ulcers include

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

    When To Call A Healthcare Provider

    Stomach Ulcer

    If the ulcer is large or deep, growing in size, incredibly painful, or if you have any signs of infection , you notice a bad smell coming from your ulcer, or you’re running a fever, call your healthcare provider right away.

    You’ll also want to call your healthcare provider if your ulcer, no matter how minor, isn’t showing signs healing after a week to 10 days.

    In most cases, the ulcer will be dressed to protect the wound. However, if your ulcer is draining considerably, your healthcare provider may recommend leaving the wound uncovered. Dressing the ulcer if it’s draining considerably can impede healing.

    If your ulcer is painful, pain medication can be prescribed. Antibiotics may also be prescribed either prophylactically to prevent infection or to treat an already infected wound.

    Debridement is done to remove dead tissue from more serious ulcers. For deep ulcers or those that aren’t healing after a long period of time, skin grafts may be needed. In the most severe cases, part of the foot, leg, or other appendage may have to be amputated.

    Restoring good circulation is key in treating and preventing ulcers. This includes elevating the legs, wearing compression stockings, reducing pressure on ulcer-prone areas, superficial vein surgery. Leg ulcers, in particular, are incredibly likely to reoccur, so compression stockings are often needed to be worn for life.

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    How To Recognize The Symptoms Of Stomach Ulcers

    This article was medically reviewed by Roy Nattiv, MD. Dr. Roy Nattiv is a board-certified Pediatric Gastroenterologist in Los Angeles, California. who specializes in a broad range of pediatric gastrointestinal and nutritional illnesses such as constipation, diarrhea, reflux, food allergies, poor weight gain, SIBO, IBD, and IBS. Dr. Nattiv received his undergrad degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. He completed his pediatric residency at the Childrens Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and his fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco . While at UCSF, he was a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine fellowship trainee and was awarded the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Fellow to Faculty Award in Pediatric IBD Research. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Nattiv is active in the research community and has been published in several high-impact medical journals.There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 23 testimonials and 80% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 3,718,506 times.

    What Causes Peptic Ulcer Disease

    The main cause is the bacterial infection, Helicobacter pylori . Another common cause is long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . This includes aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. In rare cases, the disease can be caused by cancerous and noncancerous tumors. A less common cause is a rare disorder called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

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    Can Peptic Ulcer Disease Be Prevented Or Avoided

    Stress and spicy foods dont cause ulcers. However, they can make them worse. Smoking and alcohol can cause a peptic ulcer. Men should limit alcohol to no more than 2 drinks per day. Women should have no more than 1 drink per day. Talk to your doctor if you take aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen regularly.

    Nsaid Drugs And Stomach Ulcers

    How a peptic ulcer develops

    A group of painkillers known as NSAIDs carries a risk of stomach ulcers. The two best-known NSAIDs are aspirin and ibuprofen.

    The risk of ulcers increases if the drugs are taken in high doses, or regularly for a long time.

    Stronger NSAIDs, such as those that need a prescription, are riskier for stomach ulcers than those that can be bought over-the-counter .

    People should always check labels and talk to a pharmacist or a doctor about any concerns with using painkillers. They may recommend an alternative such as acetaminophen.

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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.

    The Common Culprits To Blame

    Yourstomach has thick layer of mucus to protect its soft lining. An open sore mayform in the stomach lining when this mucus coating is diminished.

    Withimproper functioning of the layer, the soft lining is more vulnerable to getdamaged from irritating things like extreme stomach acid when the stomachdigests food. The digestive acid may eat away at the soft tissue of thestomach, resulting in an ulcer.

    There are several causes to blame. But youre probably surprised to know that bacterial infection and pain relievers are the most common culprits behind the problem.

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    Causes Of Stomach Ulcers

    A stomach ulcer can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

    • Helicobacter pylori bacteria is thought to be responsible for around 60 per cent of stomach ulcers and at least 90 per cent of duodenal ulcers.
    • Certain medications which include aspirin or clopidogrel, taken regularly to help prevent heart attack or stroke, and drugs for arthritis. Anti-inflammatory medications are thought to cause around two fifths of stomach ulcers.
    • Cancer stomach cancer can present as an ulcer, particularly in older people.

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

    8 Signs and Symptoms of a Stomach Ulcer You Should Not ...

    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:

    • Nausea
    • Loss of appetite
    • Loss of weight

    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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