Uncovering Stomach Ulcers

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Uncovering Stomach Ulcers: If you were to take ten people at random, including yourself, then one of you would develop an ulcer sometime in your life. Stomach ulcers are very common and there are a few reasons why you may get a stomach ulcer. Some, such as the duodenal ulcer, may be benign while others could be malignant. The pain and discomfort have many people reaching for a bottle of TUMS. Many people never realize they have an ulcer and so the condition is left untreated until something life threatening occurs.

So what causes these gastric ulcers and what is the ulcer treatment you can expect? Well, let’s just tackle one question at a time. Here is what happens to cause gastric ulcers. The sensitive lining of the gastrointestinal tract (including the stomach) is in contact with the acid from the stomach. The acid wears a hole in the lining and an ulcer appears. Most of the time, these ulcers are caused by a tiny bacterium and are really an H pylori ulcer. The Helicobacter pylori are a unicellular bacterium that can live in the acidic environment of the stomach. It is what weakens and erodes the mucous lining. Once the mucous is gone, the acid and bacteria can start work on the lining which then leads to an ulcer.

There are some symptoms you can look for if you think you have stomach ulcers. These symptoms, such as a pain in the stomach that comes after eating a meal, or in the middle of the night when your stomach is empty, or a feeling of upset stomach or nausea (which could indicate an H pylori ulcer) may be present. The only way to be sure if you have a stomach ulcer is to go to your doctor and discuss the symptoms. Testing will indicate whether or not an ulcer is present.

Stomach ulcers can be diagnosed with an x-ray or an endoscope procedure. Both are fairly accurate and will let the doctor know if ulcers are present in the gastrointestinal tract. If you have an H pylori ulcer, then the doctor will need to do a biopsy to ascertain whether or not the bacteria are present. If the bacterium is present, then a prescription will get rid of the H pylori, as well as treat the ulcer.