What are gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers?

Two kinds of peptic ulcers are an esophageal ulcers and a gastric ulcers. A peptic ulcer is a sore that's located inside the stomach lining — a gastric ulcer — or the upper part of the small intestine — a duodenal ulcer.

An individual can have either or both types of ulcers at once. Having two types is known as gastroduodenal.



How do patient symptoms vary?

If you experience acid reflux or the other symptoms and signs linked with a gastric or duodenal ulcer, confirm that they're related to the time in between meals. For some, the time between meals will trigger the pain that is associated with an ulcer. For other people, food is a rationale for the pain.

The location where the pain is located doesn't directly correlate with the location where the ulcer is found. Sometimes the pain is referred. This means that someone may experience pain in an area away from the ulcer itself.

Some other symptoms may include chest pain.

Nausea

Vomiting

Bloating

Indigestion

Abdominal Pain

Loss of Appetite

According to gastroenterologists, many of the symptoms of ulcers are a result of bleeding.

But between 74 and 90 percent of ulcer patients don't have any symptoms that appear unpleasant. Actually, these ulcers usually haven't serious symptoms.

Serious symptoms can include:

•        Severe abdominal pain

•        Vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds

•        Black, tarry stools

•        Severe heartburn and indigestion

•        Difficulty swallowing

•        Feeling very tired

•        Bleeding in the stomach or intestines

Check with your doctor if you experience the symptoms of stomach pain and any of the given symptoms.

What causes ulcers?

Helicobacter pylori bacteria (H. pylori)

H. pylori is the cause of gastric and duodenal ulcers. H. pylori makes the mucus that protects the stomach and small intestine, which lowers the amount of protection against stomach acids and allows those acids to damage the delicate lining, causing ulcers.

An estimated 30 to 40 percent of Americans are affected by H. pylori.

It is unclear how this bacterium spreads, but researchers believe it's mostly spread through contaminated food, water, and eating utensils. People who contract H. pylori can also pass it to one another through close contact.

Much less than 25% of all those who have a peptic ulcer experience symptoms before the age of 40. It is estimated that most people begin to feel their symptoms when they are adults.

Medications

People who use or depend on anti-inflammatory drugs that are not steroids, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, are more likely to develop an ulcer in the duodenum. H. pylori is actually the second most common cause of peptic ulcers.

NSAIDs can harm your stomach and intestinal lining if abused for a long time. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is an alternative to NSAIDs, so it can be recommended for individuals who cannot take NSAIDs due to ulcers or gastrointestinal conditions.

Other conditions

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is a rare condition that is characterized by the development of both cancerous and noncancerous tumours. These tumours release hormones that boost the level of stomach acid, which makes it important to protect one's stomach from ulcers.

These tumours most frequently arise in the pancreas and duodenum, but they can also develop elsewhere in the body.

Who is more likely to generate ulcers?

Physicians often advise patients to providently unit articles from drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen for health conditions like arthritis or joint inflammation. However, these medications increase your risk of developing peptic ulcers.

Drugs that may harm your gastrointestinal system, including gastric, duodenal, and bleeding ulcers, include:

narcotics.

•          Treatments such as alendronate (Fosamax) and risedronate (Actonel) for osteoporosis.

•          anticoagulants, like warfarin (Coumadin) or clopidogrel (Plavix), that could be used to treat coagulation disorders.

•          Some chemotherapy drugs are considered narcotics.

Other factors known to increase your risk for developing gastric and duodenal ulcers include:

•        smoking

•        overeating

•        Alcohol consumption

•        Stress

•        Hormone therapy

•        Genetics

•        Use of NSAIDs

It's true that spicy foods can make the stomach less alkaline or exacerbate an existing ulcer, but this specific risk varies from person to person.

How are ulcers treated?

Medicine that treats gastric and duodenal ulcers vary depending on the cause and how severe your symptoms. Regardless of whether you need histamine receptor blockers (H2 blockers) or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), your doctor will probably prescribe them to prevent further damage to your intestinal tract and stomach lining.

A variety of prescription medications, including PPIs that protect the mucous membrane in your gastrointestinal tract, will be recommended for you by your physician to fight H. pylori infections.

If NSAIDs led to your peptic ulcer, you may be advised on how to properly reduce or stop using these medications.

And so you will usually be told how to reduce your utilization of NSAIDs if your peptic ulcer is caused by them.

If medication or endoscopic therapy fails to relieve your symptoms, your physician may recommend surgery. In severe cases, a hole is created in your digestive tract, and it is likely to be a medical emergency and develop required surgical intervention.

Can ulcers be prevented?

·        It's difficult to prevent the risk of developing a contract for ulcers completely, but there are steps you can take to reduce your risk.

·        Prenatal care for low-risk pregnant women should be divided into counseling sessions and supported with medication reductions in low-risk pregnant women who take NSAIDs regularly.

·        Whether or not you take NSAIDs with food or medicine, it's important that you take them with food that protects your stomach lining.

·        Be careful of refraining from smoking, as it can slow the healing process and increase your risk of digestive tract cancer.

·        If you are diagnosed with H. pylori, always take the antibiotics your doctor has prescribed to you. Avoiding the whole course may prevent the bacteria from existing in your system.

·        Take opportunities to increase physical activity. Regular exercise can help initiate immune function and help decrease inflammation in cell tissue.