{"id":1514,"date":"2020-05-07T12:47:53","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T12:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blog.kayawell.com\/?p=1514"},"modified":"2020-05-09T09:01:07","modified_gmt":"2020-05-09T09:01:07","slug":"peptic-ulcers-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/peptic-ulcers-symptoms-causes-risk-factors-and-prevention","title":{"rendered":"Peptic ulcers- Symptoms, Causes, risk factors and Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peptic\nulcers are open sores which form in your stomach&#8217;s inner lining and the upper\nportion of your small intestine. Stomach pain is the commonest symptom of a\npeptic ulcer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Peptic ulcers include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Gastric ulcers which occur inside the stomach<\/li><li>Duodenal ulcers inside the upper portion of\nthe small intestine (duodenum)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Infection\nwith the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and long-term use of aspirin\nand no steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (Advil, Aleve, others) are\nthe most common causes of peptic ulcer. Stress and acidic foods are not\nresponsible for peptic ulcers. They can also make the symptoms worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Burning stomach pain<\/li><li>Feeling of fullness, bloating or belching<\/li><li>Fatty food intolerance<\/li><li>Heartburn<\/li><li>Nausea<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The most\ncommon symptom of peptic ulcer is burning pain to the stomach. Stomach acid\naggravates the discomfort, as does having an empty stomach. Eating other foods\nthat reduce stomach acid or taking an acid-reducing drug may also ease the\ndiscomfort, but then it can come back. The pain between meals and at night can\nget worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About 3\/4 of\npeople with peptic ulcers have no symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ulcers may cause serious signs or symptoms\nless frequently, like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Vomiting or vomiting blood \u00e2\u20ac\u201d that can look\nred or black<\/li><li>Dark blood in stools, or stools which are\ntarry or black<\/li><li>Trouble breathing<\/li><li>Feeling faint<\/li><li>Nausea or vomiting<\/li><li>Unexplained weight loss<\/li><li>Appetite changes<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When to see a doctor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consult your\ndoctor if you have the above serious signs or symptoms. If over-the-counter\nantacids and acid blockers ease the pain but the pain returns, also see the\ndoctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Causes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peptic\nulcers occur as the acid eats away at the inner surface of the stomach or small\nintestine in the digestive tract. The acid can cause a painful open sore and\ncan bleed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your\ndigestive tract is filled with a coating of the mucous layer that usually\nprotects against acid. But if there is an increase in the amount of acid or a\ndecrease in the amount of mucus you can develop an ulcer. Common causes\nencompass:&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A bacterium:<\/strong>\nHelicobacter pylori bacteria are commonly found in the mucous layer which\ncovers and protects tissues which line the stomach and small intestine. Mostly,\nthe H. Pylori bacterium does not cause any complications but can cause\ninflammation of the inner layer of the stomach resulting in an ulcer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not\nclear how H. pylori infection spreads. This can be transmitted by close touch\nfrom person to person, for example through kissing. People can also contract H.\nPylori by food and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Regular use of certain pain relievers:<\/strong> Taking\naspirin and other over-the-counter and prescription pain medications called\nnon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that irritate or inflammation\nyour stomach and small intestine lining. Those medications include ibuprofen\n(Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox, others),\nketoprofen, and others. They may not contain acetaminophen (Tylenol).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peptic\nulcers are more common in older adults who often take these pain drugs, or in\npeople who take these osteoarthritis drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other medications:<\/strong> Taking some\nmedicines with NSAIDs, such as steroids, anticoagulants, low-dose aspirin,\nselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), alendronate (Fosamax) and\nrisedronate (Actonel) that greatly increase the risk of developing ulcers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Risk factors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Besides taking NSAIDs, you can have a high\nrisk of peptic ulcers if you:<\/li><li><strong>Smoke:<\/strong> Smoking may\nincrease the risk of peptic ulcers in people infected with H, pylori.<\/li><li><strong>Drink\nalcohol:<\/strong> AL Alcohol will irritate and erode your stomach&#8217;s mucous lining\nand it increases the amount of stomach acid that is produced.<\/li><li>Have untreated stress<\/li><li>Eat spicy foods<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Such causes\nalone do not cause ulcers but can make them worse and harder to heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Complications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Left untreated, peptic ulcers can result in:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Internal\nbleeding. Bleeding can occur as slow blood loss that leads to anaemia or as\nsevere blood loss that may require hospitalization or a blood transfusion.\nSevere blood loss may cause black or bloody vomit or black or bloody stools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Infection:<\/strong> Peptic ulcers can eat a hole\nthrough (perforate) your stomach wall or small intestine, putting you at risk\nof serious abdominal cavity (peritonitis) infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Obstruction:<\/strong> Peptic\nulcers can obstruct the passage of food through the digestive tract, cause you\nto become full easily, vomit and lose weight through either inflammation\nswelling or scarring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\nfollow the same techniques recommended as home remedies for treating ulcers,\nyou can reduce your risk of peptic ulcer. It could also contribute to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Protect yourself from infections:<\/strong> It&#8217;s not\nexactly clear how H. Pylori spreads, although there is some evidence that it\ncan be transmitted by food and water from person to person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should\ntake action to protect yourself against infections like H. Pylori, by washing\nyour hands regularly with soap and water, and eating fully cooked foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use caution with pain relievers<\/strong> If you use\npain relievers frequently to raise your risk of peptic ulcer, take measures to\nlower your risk of stomach problems. For example, take your medication with\nmeals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Act with\nyour doctor to determine the lowest possible dosage which will still alleviate\nthe pain. When taking your medicine, stop consuming alcohol, because the two\ncan combine to increase the risk of stomach upset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will\nalso need to take other drugs, such as an antacid, a PPI, an acid blocker or a\ncytoprotective agent if you need an NSAID. A class of NSAIDs called COX-2\ninhibitors may be less likely to cause peptic ulcers but the risk of a heart\nattack may increase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview Peptic ulcers are open sores which form in your stomach&#8217;s inner lining and the upper portion of your small intestine. Stomach pain is the commonest symptom of a peptic ulcer. Peptic ulcers include: Gastric ulcers which occur inside the stomach Duodenal ulcers inside the upper portion of the small intestine (duodenum) Infection with the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}