Everything You Need to Know About Gastric Ulcer

Contents:

Medical Video: Stomach Ulcer | Nucleus Health

Gastric ulcers also known as peptic ulcer, is a painful wound that develops in the lining of the stomach or small intestine. Gastric ulcers can occur in areas where there are acids or enzymes. After allegedly caused by stress and acid buildup, research has now found the main cause is bacterial infection.

What is gastric ulcer?

Ulcers can occur anywhere in your intestinal organs. The most common types of ulcers are:

  • Gastric ulcer: Common types of stomach ulcers that develop in your stomach.
  • Small bowel ulcer: this condition is located at the beginning of the small intestine, sometimes called the small intestine or duodenum.
  • Swollen throat: This condition occurs in the esophagus, the channel that carries food from the throat to your stomach.

Unfortunately, you can have more than one type of peptic gastric ulcer at the same time. Without proper treatment, stomach ulcers can cause pain and damage. Fortunately, gastric ulcer can be treated easily.

There are factors and behaviors that can increase the risk of experiencing stomach ulcers. You may have a higher risk of stomach ulcers if you:

  • Smoke
  • Frequently use steroids (such as for treating asthma)
  • Hypercalcemia (excess calcium)
  • Family history of gastric ulcer
  • More than 50 years old
  • Excessive alcohol consumption.

What are the symptoms of stomach ulcers?

Although the following symptoms are associated with gastric ulcer, these symptoms may appear or may not appear. The worse the wound, the worse the following symptoms will affect you. The most common symptoms for gastric ulcers are heat and feeling pain in the upper or middle part of the stomach depending on where the ulcer is. Pain can increase when your stomach is empty and better after you eat.

Other common symptoms include:

  • Pain in the abdomen
  • Do not want to eat because of illness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Bloated
  • Belching or gastric acid reflux
  • Nausea (heat sensation in the chest)
  • Pain increases when you eat, drink, or drink antacids
  • Nausea
  • Unexplained weight loss.

In severe cases, gastric ulcers can cause bleeding. You may be able to remove dark or black stools, or vomit blood that looks like coffee. Bleeding can occur from time to time or occur suddenly, causing life-threatening bleeding.

When bleeding occurs over a long period of time, you may have a low, chronic blood loss. Often, you will only experience acute bleeding from an ulcer when you have anemia.

What causes stomach ulcers?

Gastric ulcer is caused by thinning of the mucus layer in your intestine. The function of this mucus is to protect the intestinal wall from stomach acid. When mucus is absent, the intestinal wall may be damaged by acid. There may be more than one factor that causes this health problem:

  • A bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).
  • Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
  • hyperacidity in the stomach. This condition can also be caused by genetics, a lot of stress, smoking, and certain foods, such as alcohol.
  • Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare disease in which the body makes too much stomach acid.
  • Radiation treatment to the abdominal area can cause stomach ulcers.

How is gastric ulcer diagnosed?

To diagnose stomach ulcers, your doctor will review your medical history with your symptoms and any prescription drugs or market drugs you use.

Your doctor will ask you to take a breath test, blood test or stool test to check for H. pylori infection.

For the breath test, you will be asked to drink clear liquid and breathe into the bag, which is then sealed. The doctor will read the level of carbon dioxide air in the bag. If H. pylori is present, the breath sample will contain higher than normal levels of carbon dioxide.

The tests and procedures used to diagnose other stomach ulcers include:

  • Barium X-ray: You will be asked to drink white liquid (barium liquid) to help the stomach and small intestine appear on X-rays.
  • Endoscopy: The doctor will insert a thin glowing tube through your mouth to the stomach to look for the presence of gastric ulcers.
  • Endoscopic biopsy: The doctor will take a piece of stomach tissue for analysis.

How do you treat stomach ulcers?

Pain in stomach ulcers is easily treated with medication and surgery. Most cases of stomach ulcers are only needed for medication. In severe cases, surgery is needed to eliminate stomach ulcers. If your wound produces H. pylori, you will need to use antibiotics.

For mild to moderate gastric ulcers, doctors will usually prescribe the following drugs:

  • H2 blockers, also known as acid reducing agents, will prevent acid levels in the stomach from being too high for patients with hyperacidity.
  • proton pump inhibitors will inhibit the function of cells producing acid.
  • use of antacid markets to balance the acid levels in your stomach.
  • Cytoprotective agents, such as Pepto-Bismol, will protect the walls of the stomach and small intestine.

Remember to use your medication thoroughly even after your symptoms disappear. This is very important to ensure that all H. pylori infections are destroyed.

For active gastric ulcer bleeding, you will need to be hospitalized for extensive care and blood transmission. Surgery will be done by cutting the wound and binding the arteries that have bleeding, or cutting the nerves to the stomach to reduce stomach acid production.

What are some tips for preventing stomach ulcers?

A healthy lifestyle is the key to good health. Limit alcohol consumption and avoid tobacco use, doing a good stress management system can reduce the risk of stomach ulcers. To prevent bacteria and bacterial infections, wash your hands regularly. Make sure to clean and cook all meals thoroughly.

To prevent stomach ulcers caused by NSAIDs, try limiting the use of these drugs. If you need to take NSAIDs, follow the recommended dosage and make sure to follow the recommended dosage and avoid alcohol when using this drug.

Everything You Need to Know About Gastric Ulcer
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