How to Understand and Treat Peptic Ulcer

What are peptic ulcers?

Peptic ulcers are open sores on the inside lining of the esophagus, stomach, or upper small intestines. A few years ago, many doctors believed that spicy foods and even stress brought on these painful ulcers, however, through research it is now known that stress and diet have nothing to do with the development of peptic ulcers.

More than ten percent of all Americans are affected by peptic ulcers sometime during their lives. Peptic ulcers are treatable and do not development into more serious conditions.

There are different types of peptic ulcers given their names due to their location, which include:
Gastric ulcer – a peptic ulcer developed in the stomach
Duodenal ulcer – a peptic ulcer developed in the small intestine
Esophageal ulcer – a peptic ulcer developed in the lower portion of the esophagus

Symptoms of Peptic Ulcers

The most common symptom associated with peptic ulcers is burning pain. The pain is caused because the open sore is irritated by stomach acid. The pain can be felt anywhere from the belly button up the breastbone, can last just a few minutes or several hours, is often worse when the stomach is empty, and can cause restless sleep due to pain. In some cases, some foods can be eaten to help relief the pain for a short time or an acid reducing medication will also help provide some relief. The pain can disappear and then return a few days later or even a few weeks.

Some individuals have complained of more serious signs and symptoms including:

• Vomiting blood
• Blood in the stool or tarry stools
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Unwarranted weight loss
• Changes in the appetite

Causes of Peptic Ulcers

The actual cause of peptic ulcers is the corkscrew-shaped bacterium Helicobacter pylori, in the majority of cases. These bacteria lives in the mucus layer of the stomach and small intestine that protects the tissues from the acid and enzymes used to digest foods. In some cases, these bacteria can cause the lining of the stomach to become inflamed or develop an ulcer.

The sad news is that H. pylori are a common gastrointestinal infection found in one in five individuals under the age of thirty and about half of all individuals over the age of sixty in the United States. The exact way that this bacterium is spread is not known, but it is speculated that it can be passed from one person to another by close contact like kissing.

There can be other causes for peptic ulcers which includes the regular use of pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve), and ketoprofen, to name a few.

Smoking is another culprit due to the fact that nicotine increases the concentration and volume of stomach acid, which increases the risk of developing an ulcer.

Too much alcohol consumption can irritate and cause the erosion of the stomach lining which increases the amount of stomach acid produced.

Treatments for Peptic Ulcers

Since the majority of peptic ulcers are created by H. pylori bacteria, the first step is to kill the bacteria, then reduce the level of stomach acid to help heal the ulcer as well as relieve the pain.

In the majority of cases, individuals will need to receive two or more of these medications:
Antibiotic medications to kill the infection, which can be amoxicillin (Amoxil), clarithromycin (Biaxin) and metronidazole (Flagyl).
Acid blockers to reduce the amount of  hydrochloric acid in the digestive tract which can be over the counter medications like (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet) and nizatidine (Axid).

Other medications that your physician may suggest include antacids, proton pump inhibitors, and cytoprotective agents.