Stomach Ulcer- Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Table of Content

• Peptic Ulcer vs Stomach Ulcer

• What is a Stomach Ulcer?

• How Stomach Ulcers Affect Us?

• What causes Stomach Ulcer?

• 4 Common Stomach Ulcer Symptoms

• Some other Regular Symptoms of Stomach Ulcers

• Stomach Ulcer Diagnosis

• 2 Medical Treatments Stomach Ulcers

• FAQ on Stomach Ulcers

Introduction

• One of the most common diseases, stomach ulcers, has a very high incidence rate than other diseases. They can take many forms and many names and can emerge from different parts of the human body. Studies have claimed that every one in ten people have a kind of stomach ulcer. In most cases, ulcers are curable, making them look nothing more than a trivial health issue to the general population.

• However, if neglected, they can get worse.  Gastric or stomach ulcers can turn into stomach cancer if not treated and cured at the primary stage. This article will focus on stomach ulcers, their causes, symptoms, ulcer diet, and treatments.

Peptic Ulcer vs Stomach Ulcer

• Doctors may often use terms like stomach ulcer, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and peptic ulcer to describe the one you are suffering from. It may leave you confused and make you comprehend all of them as alternative names for the same problem. However, that's not the actual case.

• Stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer are two forms of Peptic ulcer. Peptic ulcers got branched into these two segments depending on the part of the body it affects. Let’s know their definition.

• Peptic Ulcer: The soreness develops on the inner lining of one's stomach or the initial portion of the small intestine. It is classified into two types:

1. Stomach Ulcer: It's when the soreness affects the inside of a stomach. Gastric ulcer is similar and usually just another term for describing stomach ulcer.

2. Duodenal Ulcer: It affects the small intestine's small portion.

Among these, we only emphasize stomach ulcers here.

What is a Stomach Ulcer?

It is the painful soreness a person experiences in his stomach lining. Sometimes the soreness feels so acute and near the heart that it might feel like heartburn.

How Stomach Ulcers Affect Us?

• The stomach has digestive juices made of mostly gastric acid, enzymes, and bile. The juice secreted from the stomach lining is the key to digest proteins. An inner feedback system can partly control the secretion of digestive juice. On the other hand, the inner cells of a stomach create mucus as a barrier to keep digestive juices away from the stomach.

• Sometimes this mucus creation reduces, and thus, the inner pH level increases in the stomach. The extra acid starts to eat away the stomach tissue, which causes a stomach ulcer.

What causes Stomach Ulcer?

• There are two prime causes of gastric ulcers: H. pylori bacteria and a genre of painkillers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs.

• Bacteria: H. pylori or Helicobacter pylori is the bacterium that is considered liable for ulcer generation. It usually lives in the layer of mucous that coats the stomach line. This bacterium is infectious and can easily spread by person-to-person contacts like kissing and touching. It can also transmit through water and food.

• Usually, H. pylori are not harmful. But sometimes, it can cause inflammation in the inner lining of the stomach. This inflammation eventually turns into an ulcer.

• NSAIDs: Taking NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and related medicines can cause ulcers. Most of these drugs relieve common inflammatory symptoms, and their usage is relatively high and normal. Such drugs include naproxen sodium, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and so on. Acetaminophen is an exception, though.

• Other Medications: Other than NSAIDs, anticoagulants, steroids, mild-dose of aspirin, alendronate, risedronate, etc., are great triggers for ulcer development.

• Other Catalysts: Though the main reasons for ulcers are the pre-mentioned ones, some factors can affect its condition. These factors are:

• Smoking: Excessive or regular smoking can worsen the ulcer if it is caused by the bacterium.

• Drinking Alcohol: Alcohol damages and dilutes the mucous layer inside the stomach.

• Eating Spicy Foods: Increases the acidity level inside the stomach.

• Long-term stress: Stress can also trigger ulcerous inflammation by disturbing the peptic acid-base balance.

• Hypercalcemia: It happens when blood's calcium level rises above normal. It makes an imbalance in certain hormones and causes peptic inflammation.

4 Common Stomach Ulcer Symptoms

1. The most appearing symptom of a stomach ulcer is dyspepsia which is a term for indigestion. It causes discomfort and inflammation in the stomach. The pain can be mild or acute and might sometimes get to a point when it might feel intolerable.

2. Often simultaneous heartburn can also be felt as for the acid reflux. Gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERD) can also stimulate heartburn. The burn feels just between the upper area of the stomach and the lower portion of the chest.

3. It should also be comprehended that not every ulcer causes dyspepsia. Stomach ulcer symptoms can be realized distinctively to be different than just heartache while being vague.

4. The pain that emerged from the ulcer will mostly be felt on an empty stomach. It typically dissolves after taking some food or an anti-acidic tablet. However, the relief is temporary, and the pain will return after a while. It could stay for a few minutes or hours.

Some other Regular Symptoms of Stomach Ulcers

• Acute/dull pain in the stomach

• Low hunger

• Weight loss

• Swollen belly

• Feeling nausea

• Bloating and burping

• An aching sensation around the chest

• Blood with stool

Sometimes stomach ulcers can go without showing any symptoms. It grows without being noticed and, when it gets severe, eats up the stomach wall. Such ulcers are known as perforation ulcers.

Stomach Ulcer Diagnosis

• Diagnosis for the stomach ulcer will primarily be determined by the showing symptoms and acuteness of the ulcer. Finding the cause of the ulcer by asking verbal questions is the first approach a doctor might take.

• NSAIDs Checking: By questioning the patients about their medications and reviewing their past medical history, a doctor might check if they were on any NSAIDs.

• Bacteria Checking: To determine whether the ulcer is caused by bacteria, doctors can take blood, breath, or stool tests. The most common is to test the percentage of carbon dioxide in one's breath. If it is contaminated with H. pylori, the carbon dioxide percentage will be higher in the breath.

• X-ray: The doctor can take an X-ray graph of a patient's stomach and intestinal areas to look for an ulcer.

• Endoscopy: In endoscopy, a curvy, thin tube with a light and camera on its end will be passed into the patient's mouth to the stomach and upper intestine to point out ulcers related wounds.

• Endoscopic Biopsy: A single tissue of the inner stomach gets tested in this process to find out the state of stomach cells.

• Diagnosing the cause of the ulcer is important to treat and heal it completely.

2 Medical Treatments Stomach Ulcers

Depending on the intensity and cause of the ulcer, a stomach specialist can prescribe surgical or non-surgical treatment. Non-surgical treatments involve taking medications and bringing change to one's dietary habits. Both are effective when the ulcer is in its rudimentary phase or caused by bacteria.

1. Non-Surgical Treatment

Suppose the ulcer occurs for H. pylori, as in most cases, the doctor will advise proton pipe inhibitors or PPIs. They are to stop gastric acid production.

Other than or in addition to this, non-surgical treatment includes:

• Antibacterial tablets: To halt bacterial growth.

• H2 Receptor Blocks: To block acid secretion.

• Probiotics: To kill H. pylori

If the state of the ulcer is not severe, after these non-surgical treatments, symptoms will quickly subside. For severe cases of stomach ulcers, surgical treatment will be advised.

2. Surgical Treatment

The surgical approach to treat an ulcer is a highly rare case. Only in intensely critical cases like bleeding, perforation, such treatment would be obligated. Typical surgery might involve:

• Removing the whole ulcer

• Mending wound by pasting tissue drawing from another part of the intestine

• Cutting the inner nerve to stop acid secretion

Word of Wisdom

Like all the other diseases, it's also true for ulcers that prevention is better than cure. Maintaining a disciplined life and a healthy diet can keep anyone from having issues that emerged from stomach ulcers. Once detected, it shouldn't be neglected, and patients must consider consulting a doctor.

References

National Library of Medicine

National Institute of Health 

Cleveland Clinic