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Peptic ulcer

What is Peptic ulcer?

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD), also known as a peptic ulcer or stomach ulcer, is a break in the lining of the stomach, first part of the small intestine, or occasionally the lower esophagus. --> The most common symptoms are waking at night with upper abdominal pain or upper abdominal pain that improves with eating. The pain is often described as a burning or dull ache. Other symptoms include belching, vomiting, weight loss, or poor appetite. About a third of older people have no symptoms. Complications may include bleeding, perforation, and blockage of the stomach. Bleeding occurs in as many as 15% of people.

Common causes include the bacteria, Helicobacter pylori and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Other less common causes include tobacco smoking, stress due to serious illness, Behcet disease, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, Crohn disease and liver cirrhosis, among others. --> The diagnosis is typically suspected due to the presenting symptoms with confirmation by either endoscopy or barium swallow. H. pylori can be diagnosed by testing the blood for antibodies, a urea breath test, testing the stool for signs of the bacteria, or a biopsy of the stomach. Other conditions that produce similar symptoms include stomach cancer, coronary heart disease, and inflammation of the stomach lining or gallbladder.

Diet does not play an important role in either causing or preventing ulcers. --> The medication used to decrease acid is usually either a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) or an H2 blocker with four weeks of treatment initially recommended. Ulcers due to H. pylori are treated with a combination of medications such as amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and a PPI. Antibiotic resistance is increasing and thus treatment may not always be effective. Bleeding ulcers may be treated by endoscopy, with open surgery typically only used in cases in which it is not successful.

Peptic ulcers are present in around 4% of the population. About 10% of people develop a peptic ulcer at some point in their life. They resulted in 301,000 deaths in 2013 down from 327,000 deaths in 1990. The first description of a perforated peptic ulcer was in 1670 in Princess Henrietta of England. H. pylori was first discovered in 1981 by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren.

Questions and answers on "Peptic ulcer"

I am suffering from peptic ulcer since last 2 years.Whenever my stomach become upset it take 20-25 days to become normal.And almost every 2-3...

doctor1 MD

Hello..
thanks for writing us..

Peptic ulcer is curable condition, First we have to find the cause for this by endoscopic biopsy and certain blood...

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hello i am suffering from peptic ulcer and had been using Depo provera injectable. i stopped the injections on march 25. my L.M.P was 21st April...

doctor1 MD

Hi,
Thanks for the query. I will try to satisfy you by the answer.
Depot provera is a long acting hormonal contraceptive. It is chracterised by...

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What's the best foods to eat if you have a peptic ulcer. Can it heal on its...

doctor1 MD

Dear patient,

Thanks for your health concerns; rather than focusing on the best foods to eat, in peptic ulcer the main focus should be on what...

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