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While the location of your symptoms can help determine if the ulcer is gastric or duodenal,
sometimes the pain is called referred. This means a person may have pain away from where
the actual ulcer area is.
But nearly 75 percent of the people who have gastric or duodenal ulcers don’t have
symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic. In fact, these ulcers rarely cause severe symptoms.
Severe symptoms include:
Medications
People who use or rely on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin,
ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium, are more likely to develop peptic ulcers. NSAIDs can
irritate and damage your lining. Acetaminophen, or Tylenol, isn’t included on this list.
Other conditions
A rare condition known as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome can cause gastric and duodenal
ulcers. This condition causes cancerous and noncancerous tumorsto develop in the stomach
and duodenum.
Who’s more likely to develop ulcers?
While doctors often recommend NSAIDs for health conditions such as arthritisor joint
inflammation, NSAIDs can increase your risk for developing peptic ulcers.
Other risk factors known to increase your risk for developing gastric and duodenal ulcers
include:
alendronate (Fosamax)
anticoagulants
risedronate (Actonel)
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
How will your doctor diagnose ulcers?
Your doctor will start by asking about your medical history and symptoms. Let your doctor
know when you start feeling the symptoms and where. Gastric and duodenal ulcers will
cause pain in different parts of your abdomen. If your doctor suspects you may have an
ulcer, they will usually confirm with several tests.
If a doctor thinks H. pylori may have caused the infection, the following tests can confirm or
rule out this possibility:
Blood test: The presence of certain infection-fighting cells could mean you have an H.
pylori infection.
Stool culture: A stool sample is sent for lab testing. H. pylori bacteria will grow over the
course of a few days, if present.
Urea breath test: A urea breath test involves swallowing a pill that contains carbon and
breathing into a bag that’s sent to a lab. High levels of carbon dioxide can indicate
presence of H. pylori.
Esophogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)
An EGD test involves inserting a special tool known as a scope that has a lighted camera on
its end through your mouth. The camera takes pictures as it moves down your stomach into
the beginning of your small intestine. Your doctor will use these pictures to look for ulcers or
other abnormal areas.
Upper gastrointestinal series
Your doctor may also order a test called a barium swallow or an upper GI series. This test
involves drinking a solution with a small amount of radioactive matter. Your doctor will then
take several X-rays to see how the solution moves through your digestive system. This
allows the doctor to examine the X-ray for any potential abnormalities in the stomach.
How are ulcers treated?
Treatment for gastric and duodenal ulcers depends upon the causes and how severe your
symptoms are. For example, your doctor may prescribe histamine receptor blockers (H2
blockers) or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to reduce the amount of acid and protect your
stomach lining.
For H. pylori infections, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics and other medications to fight
the bacteria and promote healing. These medications include mucosal protective agents,
which help protect your stomach’s mucus lining.
If NSAIDs caused the peptic ulcer, a doctor will advise you on how to reduce your use.
If the ulcer is actively bleeding, your doctor can use special tools to stop the bleeding
through an endoscope during the EGD procedure.
In cases that medication or endoscopic therapy does not work, your doctor may recommend
surgery.
If the ulcer becomes deep enough to cause a hole in the wall of your stomach or duodenum,
it becomes a medical emergency and surgery is most often required to fix the problem.
Complication Cause
bleeding ulcer wears away the stomach or small intestine and breaks the blood vessels there
ulcer breaks through the lining and stomach wall, causing bacteria, acid, and food to
perforation leak through
scar tissue can form as a result of the ulcers and keep food from leaving the stomach or
blockage duodenum
It’s important to get treated if you have symptoms related to gastric or duodenal ulcers.
In some cases, gastric ulcers can increase your risk for cancerous and noncancerous tumor
growth. Duodenal ulcers aren’t usually associated with cancer.
Your doctor will recommend repeating an EGD after several weeks of treatment to confirm
that the ulcers are healing. But most gastric and duodenal ulcers will go away with time and
treatment.
It’s important to get treated if you have symptoms related to gastric or duodenal ulcers.
In some cases, gastric ulcers can increase your risk for cancerous and noncancerous tumor
growth. Duodenal ulcers aren’t usually associated with cancer.
Your doctor will recommend repeating an EGD after several weeks of treatment to confirm
that the ulcers are healing. But most gastric and duodenal ulcers will go away with time and
treatment.
http://healthtools.aarp.org/health/gastric-and-duodenal-ulcers