Switch to हिंदी

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

हिंदी
  • Health A-Z
  • Diabetes
  • Diseases
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Type 2 Diabetes
    • Cancer
    • Heart Attack
    • Pneumonia
    • Diseases A-Z
  • Diet & Fitness
    • Weight Management
    • Exercise & Body Building
    • Diet & Recipes
    • Yoga
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Pregnancy
    • Conceiving
    • Infertility
    • Labour & Delivery
    • Pregnancy week-by-week
    • Breastfeeding
    • Baby Names
  • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Grooming
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home / Diseases & Conditions / Peptic ulcer

Peptic ulcer

Peptic ulcer

Causes

The most important function of your stomach is to digest the food you eat with the help of acids and a substance called pepsin, produced by the cells lining of the stomach. Unfortunately, these acids along with pepsin are strong enough to attack your stomach and duodenal lining. Normally, the lining is  protected by a sticky layer of mucus covering it. But, certain factors can result in invasion of the mucus layer causing the lining to break open. Once the lining breaks open it causes the tissue to become inflamed (gastritis) and forms a deep sore or ulcer.

Dr. Mehul Choksi from S.L. Raheja, Mahim says, ‘The two most important causes of peptic ulcer are infection of the stomach lining caused by bacteria Helicobacter pylori, regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) drugs like ibuprofen, naproxen and ibuprofen for pain.’

‘Contrary to popular belief, there is no good evidence that a specific diet causes or worsens peptic ulcers,’ he adds.


Symptoms

Mild inflammation due to small ulcers may not cause any major symptoms and may heal on their own like mouth ulcers do. However, some ulcers can cause serious symptoms. Stomach pain is the most common symptom. The type of pain can vary from mild to severe and may occur typically at night. It may become severe as the stomach empties and in some cases may be relieved after having food. In some cases, pain may disappear for a few days and then reappear. Other less common signs include:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Vomiting

‘You person should visit a specialist, preferably a medical gastroenterologist, when the symptoms are bothersome of if symptoms include weight loss, blood in the stools or black tarry stools, feeling full quickly after eating and difficulty in swallowing food.’

‘It’s better to go to a doctor in case abdominal pain worsens or if there is a constant feeling of discomfort. Also, individuals more than 40 years of age having abdominal pain should consult a gastroenterologist as the likelihood of stomach cancer increases after you cross 40s,’ explains Dr Choksi.


Diagnosis

If your doctor suspects peptic ulcer, you may have to undergo the following tests:

  • Blood test: A test to check the presence of antibodies produced by your immune system can detect and confirm H.pylori infection.
  • Endoscopy: ‘The gastroenterologist may choose to perform an upper gastrointestintal endoscopy (Gastroscopy) which examines the esophageal, stomach and duodenal lining for presence of ulcers, esophagitis or gastritis. This is done by passing a thin, flexible tube having camera at its end; through the mouth down the throat,’ says Dr Choksi.
  • Tissue Biopsy: ‘Also, at the same time a spot test for H. pylori can be done by taking a small amount of tissue from the stomach (biopsy). Biopsies can also be sent for reporting to the pathologist to rule out abnormal cells or cancer if a suspected lesion is seen at the time of endoscopy,’ he adds further.

Latest advances in the diagnosis

Dr Choksi explains some latest, advanced non-invasive methods to diagnose H. pylori infection without doing endoscopy like:

  • Urea breath test: In this test, the patient has to swallow a capsule containing urea, a carbon and nitrogen containing compound. H. pylori when present in the stomach lining acts on the urea capsule and carbon dioxide is released which gets absorbed in the blood and is exhaled from the lungs. The patient has to exhale into a breath analyser. If H. pylori bacteria are present in stomach then exhaled carbon dioxide is sensed by the analyser and the test is reported positive.
  • Stool antigen testing: In this test, a stool sample is tested for the presence or absence of H. pylori with the help of a specific antibody against H. pylori. This is an immunological test.
  • Narrow band imaging: As long standing H. pylori infection can cause gastric cancer, nowadays we have special imaging and magnifying methods to detect cancer of the gastrointestinal tract early. Narrow band imaging is a novel endoscopic technique which can be incorporated during gastroscopy especially if there is a lesion suspected to be malignant or pre-malignant. It uses special filters and magnifying methods to diagnose early cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions.


Treatment

Peptic ulcers caused due to H. pylori infection is treated with a course of antibiotics like amoxicillin and metronidazole. If it caused by NSAIDs then proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole and lansoprazole are prescribed. These drugs block the production and release of stomach acids, allowing the ulcer to heal naturally. ‘Today’s anti-secretory drugs, proton pump inhibitors are very potent in healing of peptic ulcers and in today’s era with the use of these drugs the ulcer healing rates are very high and complication rates are extremely low. These drugs have reduced the need for surgery and the risk of resulting complications that occurred quite frequently in the past few decades,’ says Dr Choksi.

‘As 80-90 % of the Indian population is infected with H. pylori, upto 10-15 % of the patients may have recurrence of the ulcer after successful eradication of H. pylori due to recurrence of infection,’ says Dr Choksi.


Prevention

Here are some tips to prevent occurrence of peptic ulcers

  • Avoid indiscriminate use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain
  • Quit smoking
  • Limit intake of alcohol
  • Avoid eating outside food from unhygienic places as H.Pylori is thought to be transmitted through contaminated food and water


More About Peptic ulcer

  • 4 home remedies for peptic ulcers

    4 home remedies for peptic ulcers

    Try these effective home remedies to get rid of peptic ulcers.

  • Poor diet, constipation, depression +5 causes of excessive burping or belching

    Poor diet, constipation, depression +5 causes of excessive burping or belching

    Are you constantly burping throughout the day? You might be suffering from indigestion, depression and anxiety or constipation, among others.

  • Try this almond and milk mixture to treat peptic ulcers

    Try this almond and milk mixture to treat peptic ulcers

    Have peptic ulcers? Here's a remedy that works wonders!

  • Peptic ulcer -- causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

    Peptic ulcer -- causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

    Suffering from bad stomach pain? You could be suffering from peptic ulcer.

  • 8 home remedies for peptic ulcers

    8 home remedies for peptic ulcers

  • Acidity: A cause for heartburn

    Acidity: A cause for heartburn

  • 5 healthy reasons to eat the German pickle - Sauerkraut

    5 healthy reasons to eat the German pickle - Sauerkraut

  • Vegetable oil component helps fight gastric ulcers

    Vegetable oil component helps fight gastric ulcers

Read Disclaimer

Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus Updates

Stay Informed, Be Safe

  • Coronavirus: WHO issues new advisory for COVID-19 patients
  • India’s Covaxin can neutralize UK variant of COVID-19, finds new study
  • COVID-19 vaccination FAQs: All you need to know before you get the jab
  • Increase your omega-3 intake to reduce death risk due to Covid-19
  • COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,676,838 while death toll reaches 1,53,587

Recent Posts

  • Coronavirus: WHO issues new advisory for COVID-19 patients
  • Sourav Ganguly hospitalised again because of chest pain: Is this normal after angioplasty?
  • ‘Extremely essential’: Kareena Kapoor Khan on importance of yoga during pregnancy
  • Exposure to antibiotics linked to reduced weight and height in boys: Study
  • India’s Covaxin can neutralize UK variant of COVID-19, finds new study

Health Calculators

BMI Calculator
bmi Calculator
Ideal Body Weight
ideal body weight
Daily Calorie Intake
Daily calorie intake
Calories Burned
calories burned

Health News in Hindi

Coronavirus: WHO issues new advisory for COVID-19 patients

Soy Milk vs Almond Milk: Which one is better for your health?

Sourav Ganguly hospitalised again because of chest pain: Is this normal after angioplasty?

‘Extremely essential’: Kareena Kapoor Khan on importance of yoga during pregnancy

Exposure to antibiotics linked to reduced weight and height in boys: Study

Read All

Recent Posts

  • Coronavirus: WHO issues new advisory for COVID-19 patients
  • Soy Milk vs Almond Milk: Which one is better for your health?
  • Sourav Ganguly hospitalised again because of chest pain: Is this normal after angioplasty?
  • ‘Extremely essential’: Kareena Kapoor Khan on importance of yoga during pregnancy
  • Exposure to antibiotics linked to reduced weight and height in boys: Study

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com
+91 – 22 – 6697 1234
Landline Phone number 91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

Useful Links

  • Weight Loss
  • Keto Diet Tips
  • Skin Care Tips
  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Ashwagandha
  • Cancer
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dengue
  • Typhoid
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chickenpox
  • Chikungunya
  • Depression
  • Hepatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Swine Flu
  • Baby Names
  • Cough and cold
  • Heart Attack
  • Breast Cancer
  • Ebola Virus
  • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • International Yoga Day
  • Hypotension
  • Heart Failure
  • Asthma
  • Brain Tumour
  • Celebrity Fitness
  • Goitre
  • HIV/AIDS

We respect your privacy

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Author Profiles

Copyright © 2021 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.