Peptic Ulcers

The stomach and the first portion of the small bowel are coated with a mucosa layer
which protects them from the harshness of the gastric acid. But sometimes the stomach produce
too much of it and so the gastric mucosa, or the duodenum is destroyed by the gastric acid or the
digestive fluids, thereby a round or oval shaped lesion appears in the stomach or the small
intestine. The symptoms may change, from an easy case of peptic ulcer to a severe one which
can lead to serious health issues because it can perforate the wall of the stomach, or it can form a
gastric outlet obstruction that blocks the passageway leading from the stomach to the small
bowel.
In other words, dont allow the ulcer to develop and treat it immediately in order to
avoid complication. Thus, if you are an elder person, if theres an ulcer case in your family
history, or if you have the symptoms of this illness, for your own health and comfort have a
medical examination that takes less than an hour.

Other information about the peptic ulcer:

Treatments & Drugs for Peptic Ulcers
If a patient is diagnosticated with peptic ulcer, the doctor will test him, first of all, for
the H.pylori bacteria, if present, he will prescribe antibiotics, in order to reduce the inflammation
of the mucosa and proton pump inhibitors to reduce stomach acid. In this way, the bacteria will
be killed, speeding up the healing process and preventing further ulcers. Also, in the process of
healing, you are advised to change your lifestyle. Smoking, coffee, alcohol, and stress are to be
avoided because they can irritate the gastric environment.
Frequently used drugs in curring ulcers:
- antiacids: they reduce the gastric acid.
- drugs that lowers gastric secretion
- antibiotic that kills the H.pylori bacteria
- cytoprotective agents: protects the tissue that lines the stomach and the small bowel.
In severe cases of peptic ulcer an endoscopic procedure is recommended to prelevate
some tissue for biopsy, in order to determine if its cancer.
Surgery can be used when the wall of the stomach is perforated or when the passageway
leading from the stomach to the small bowel has a gastric outlet obstruction and its no other way
to heal with medication treatment. The medical intervention can differ from patient to patient. If
the lesion of the ulcer it's small, only a small portion of the wall stomach will be eliminated, but
if the lesion is bigger will be removed 1/3 or 2/3 of the stomach . It is also called the Billroth
surgery.

Types of ulcers
An ulceration can appear on any tissue that coats the surface of the body or on mucous
membranes that protects many organs, including the digestive tract. Thus, different kinds of ulcer
indicate the anatomic location that is affected. In the digestive tract the peptic ulcer can develop
into two types:
Gastric Ulcer This type of ulcer occurs on the inside of the stomach. In
some cases this ulcer it may turn cancerous. The main
symptom of this ulcer its a stomach pain more likely to be
felt immediately after eating
Duodenal Ulcer This type of ulcer occurs on the inside of the first part of
the small intestine. This is the most common type of ulcer
and it rarely becomes cancer. The main symptom for this
type of ulcer it's a stomach pain felt few hours after eating.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Peptic Ulcers

Symptoms of Peptic Ulcers

The frequent symptom of peptic ulcers, its a burning pain located in the epigastric area.
But it is also encountered the following symptoms:
- nausea
-vomiting
-bloating
-indigestion
-weight loss
-loss of appetite
In severe cases, like hemorrhage, perforation, and obstruction, the symptoms differ:
- vomiting blood
- severe abdominal pain
- melena
The symptom for the duodenal and gastric ulcer is the same, namely a stomach pain, but
the difference is the time when it appears. The pain of duodenal ulcer occurs after some hours
after eating, while the pain of the gastric ulcer occurs immediately after eating.
 Some patients have no symptoms, till the ulcer aggravates and leads to complications of
peptic ulcers:

Complications Symptoms
Bleeding into the digestive tract - anemia
- melena
- vomiting blood
Perforation of the stomach wall -severe abdominal pain and tenderness
- peritonitis
Gastric outlet obstruction - vomiting (containing undigested food)
- malnutrition
- dehydration

Diagnosis of Peptic Ulcers

In order to diagnose and determine the causes of ulcers, the doctor may recommend the
following medical test and analyses:
Urea breath test: This procedure is non-invasive and painless because the patient has
to breathe through this specific test, after he swallows a tablet containing urea. If the H. pylori
bacteria is present in the stomach, the urea will break up and turn into carbon dioxide, which is
absorbed across the lining of the stomach and into the blood. It then travels to the lungs where it
is excreted in the breath
Analyses of the blood antibodies against H. pylori: it shows if your body has made
antibodies to this bacteria.
Analysis of fecal samples: in order to detect H. pylori bacteria.
The radiographic contrast of the internal organs: Before the medical investigation, a
certain amount of contrast medium its given to the patient in order to improve the visibility of
the ulcerous lesions on the walls of the stomach and small intestine.
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: An endoscope is inserted into the patient's mouth
and then gently moved down till it reaches into the stomach. From this point, the doctor may
treat bleeding, can collect tissue samples for biops y, or it can simply find problems that do not
shop up on radiography tests.

Risk Factors and Causes For Peptic Ulcers

Risk Factors of Peptic Ulcers
The following factors can increase the risk of developing peptic ulcers:
- Smoking: Delays healing process and increases acid production.
 - Alcohol: In high concentrations, it can damage the gastric mucosa or stimulates acid
secretion.
- Stress: Although it is debatable if stress can delay the healing process, some studies
and patients believe that stress may contribute in aggravating the illness.
- Age: Ulcer is more common in people over the age of 50
- Abuse of painkillers: Some of this drugs, like ibuprofen or aspirin, can lead to a
dangerous bleeding ulcer, because, in time, they can thinner the gastric mucosa. It is advisable to
take this kind of drugs if they have a protective layer which reduce

Causes of Peptic Ulcers

There are three factors that play an important role in being diagnosed with peptic ulcers:
- Genetic factors: Meaning that if the patient has, or had a relative with ulcer he may
inherit the illness.
- Infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria: This type of infection is common, but
for most people, it doesnt cause ulcers. Sanitation and clean water protect the organism of
getting this bacteria. H. pylori attack the lining of the stomach, leading to ulcers.
- Lifestyle:

Alternative Medicine and Treatment for Peptic Ulcers

Food
Flavonoids are substances that are found in plants, vegetables, and fruit. They bring
benefits to our organism by strengthening blood vessels, reduces the inflammation of the organs
and it also protects the lining of the stomach, allowing ulcers to heal. In organism they act as
antioxidants, protecting any type of organ cells. Thus, any fruit, vegetable or plant contains this
natural compound, but in the case of ulcers avoid citrus fruits and red wine because it can irritate.
Lifestyle
Besides a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, there are a few affordable therapies
to help fighting the ulcer:
- enough sleep: eight hours of sleep are necessary
- avoid stress
- drinking alkaline mineral waters: This kind of water its rich in calcium and
magnesium, with a low content of carbon dioxide can make true miracles for people with
ulcers.
Over-the-counter medication
 Drugs that contain calcium carbonate or zinc may help in treating peptic ulcers.
- Tums for heartburn relief
- Rolaids for heartburn relief and acid indigestion
Although, over-the-counter medication is lacking in effectiveness, therefore they are not
recommended as a treatment for peptic ulcers.

How to prevent Peptic Ulcers

Certain lifestyle choices and habits can reduce your risk of developing peptic ulcers, so:
- avoid smoking because it's more likely to develop a duodenal ulcer from this reason
- avoid excess of alcohol because it stimulates the production of gastric acid.
- limit the use of painkillers because they destroy the gastric mucosa
- maintain personal hygiene in this way you can decrease the contamination with
H.pylori bacteria
- avoid stress
- eat healthy: avoid skipping meals and eat at regular intervals. though, avoid citrus
fruits.
- sleep enough
- drink water