Painful sores in the lining of the stomach, also known as stomach ulcers and gastric ulcers are one of the types of peptic ulcer diseases. Any ulcers affecting the stomach and small intestine are called peptic ulcers.
There are numerous stomach ulcers causes, the most important of them all is the abnormal reduction or shrinkage of the thick mucus layer that protects your stomach lining from the acidic digestive juices. As a result, the digestive acids start damaging the tissues around the lining of the stomach and cause ulcers.
It is usually easy to treat stomach ulcers, but if not given proper attention, they can become severe.
Let’s know more about the ulcers of the stomach:
What are the causes of stomach ulcers?
In addition to the reduction of the thick mucus layer, there are some other causes of stomach ulcers including:
- An infection of a bacterium called Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori)
- Prolonged usage of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, etc.
- Rarely, a condition called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is also responsible for stomach and intestinal ulcers, especially if it is not treated on time.
Stomach Ulcers Symptoms:
Depending on the duration and severity, there are various symptoms of a stomach ulcer:
Pain and burning sensation around the middle of the abdomen is the most common symptom. The pain usually gets worse when you are hungry and it may last for a few minutes and sometimes a few hours as well.
Some other common symptoms of stomach ulcers are:
- Mild to severe dull pain in the stomach
- Progressive weight loss
- Loss of appetite because of continuous pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bloating
- The patient feels full even after a very light meal
- Continuous acid reflux resulting in burping
- Burning sensation in the chest
- Stomach ache may improve with eating, drinking, or by antacids
- Anemia characterized by breathlessness, pale skin, and tiredness, etc.
- In severe cases, bloody or coffee-like vomiting may also be one of the symptoms ulcers in the stomach
Diagnosis of stomach ulcers:
You may suffer from these symptoms due to some other conditions as well. So, it becomes very imperative to properly diagnose the stomach ulcers.
For proper diagnosis, your doctor may ask you for detailed medical history that should include your symptoms, duration of those symptoms, other associated problems, and if you are having some other prescription or over-the-counter medications.
Confirming or ruling out the H. Pylori infection: For this, your doctor may advise for a blood, stool, or breath test.
Other procedures and tests advised for the diagnosis of stomach ulcers are:
- Barium Swallow: You will have to drink a thick white liquid known as barium. It coats the upper GIT tract and makes it easy for the doctor to inspect the stomach and intestine through the x-rays.
- Endoscopy: The doctor will insert a thin, lighted tube through your mouth inside the stomach and the upper part of the intestine. The lighted tube helps the doctor to check for the ulcers, bleeding or any other abnormality of tissues.
Treatment of Stomach Ulcers:
The treatment depends on the ulcers in stomach symptoms. Usually, the ulcers of the stomach are successfully treated with prescription medicines, but surgery may also be required in rare cases.
It’s very important to talk to your doctor as soon as possible, as delay in the treatment may cause severe problems. If you are suffering from actively bleeding ulcers, you will likely be hospitalized for proper observation and treatment.
Nonsurgical treatment:
Antibiotics and drugs named proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are usually prescribed in the acute cases of ulcers caused by H. Pylori.
Depending on the causes and severity, your doctor may recommend:
- H2 receptor blockers.
- Stopping the usage of NSAIDs
- Probiotics
- Bismuth supplement
- Follow-up endoscopy for further investigation
Homeopathic Treatment:
Homeopathic treatment is entirely based on symptoms-similarity where the symptoms of the patients and the symptoms of medicines should be as similar as possible, but a handful of homeopathic remedies are very effective to treat the symptoms of a stomach ulcer. These are:
- Arsenic Album
- Kali Bichromicum
- Mercurius Corrosives
- Mercurius Solubillis
- Natrum Phosphoricum
- Nux Vomica
- Phosphorus
- Robinia
NOTE: Don’t take any of these medicines without consulting a qualified homeopathic doctor.
Surgical Treatment:
Usually, the stomach ulcers are cured by medicines but, if they become very complicated, surgery may be required.
Your doctor may recommend for the surgery if ulcers:
- Don’t heal at all
- Continue to return
- Keep bleeding
- Tear through the stomach
- Causing insufficient retention of food in the stomach.
Surgical procedures may include:
- Removal of the entire ulcer
- Removal of tissue from another part of intestines and pathing it around the ulcer site
- Tying off a bleeding artery
- Stoppage of the nerve supply to the stomach to control the excessive production of stomach acids.
How to avoid stomach ulcers:
It doesn’t matter what are the stomach ulcers causes, they are never good for your health. And it is not that tough to keep them at bay. You can do that by following a healthful diet. Here are a few foods you should include in your diet to keep the stomach ulcers at bay:
- Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and radishes
- Leafy greens like kale and spinach
- Foods are rich in probiotics such as miso, kombucha, sauerkraut, and yogurt, etc.
- Fruits like apples, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, etc.
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Foods are rich in glutamine like chicken, eggs, fishes, and spinach, etc.
That’s all about our discussion on the stomach ulcers. Treating them is never very tough, but it can get tough if not treated timely and properly. Hopefully, you got to know a lot about the stomach ulcers, and you will follow these advises keeping the stomach ulcers at bay. If you feel even mild symptoms of a stomach ulcer, don’t ignore and talk to your doctor as soon as possible.