Ulcer Disease

What is ulcer disease?

Ulcer disease is a disease that occurs in the stomach. It is a condition in which sores develop in the lining of the stomach or in the small intestine. A thick layer of mucus protects the stomach from these harmful diseases, but many things weaken this protective layer and cause damage to the tissue.

Image Source - Google | image by - mayoclinic

1 out of ten people gets ulcers.  It is developed by a family history of ulcers due to disease in the kidney or lungs or by drinking alcohol or also by smoking.

What are the causes of ulcers?

Many people think that stress or certain foods cause ulcers. According to researchers, these theories are not true. According to researchers, there are two causes of ulcers:

• Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria.
• Pain-relieving NSAID medications.

Infrequently other factors cause ulcers. People may develop ulcers after:

• Ill from serious diseases or infections.
• Having surgery
• Taking other medicines such as steroids

Ulcers can also occur if you suffer from a rare condition called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. This condition also causes tumors. These tumors can be cancerous or non-cancerous.

There is a common concept that coffee or spicy foods can cause ulcers. Later, you have heard that people develop ulcers by eating a bland diet. But now we know that we enjoy our foods as they don’t make your symptoms worse during an ulcer.

What are the symptoms of an ulcer?

There are a few symptoms of ulcer:

• Gnawing or burning pain in your stomach
• Pain that occurs when you eat
• Bloating
• Heartburn
• Nausea or vomiting
• In other cases of ulcers, symptoms are:
• Dark or black stool due to bleeding
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Severe in your mid-abdomen

 How are ulcers cured?

Ulcers are treated by talking about your symptoms. To confirm the diagnosis, you will need one of these tests:

• Endoscopy
• H. Pylori tests
• Imaging tests

Will ulcers heal on their own?

Sometimes, an ulcer heals its own. You should not ignore the warning of ulcer signs. You should need to take the right treatment. Ulcers can also lead to serious health problems, there are:

• Bleeding
• Perforation
• Gastric outlet obstruction

What are the treatments for ulcers?

If your ulcer includes bleeding, your doctor may treat it by endoscopy or by injecting medicines into it.

Many people are treated with medicines:

• Proton pump inhibitors (PPI): These drugs help to reduce acid, which allows healing your ulcer.
• Histamine receptor blockers (H2 blockers): These drugs also reduce the production of acid.
• Antibiotics: These include medicines that help to kill bacteria. Doctors use them to treat H. Pylori.
• Protective medications: These help to maintain a protective layer.

Prevention

• Talk to your doctor and took medical treatment
• Discuss your symptoms with your doctor
• Quit smoking
• Drink alcohol in moderation

Milk temporarily soothes the sores in your stomach but it also produces more acid in your stomach which can make your ulcer worse. No, foods have no positive or negative impacts on your ulcer. You should need to eat a healthy diet or use to exercise daily or enough sleep.