What is it?
Peptic Ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of your stomach, upper small intestine or esophagus. The most common symptom of a Peptic Ulcer is abdominal pain.
It wasn't too long ago that lifestyle factors, such as a love of spicy foods or a stressful job [1], were thought to be at the root of most Peptic Ulcers. Doctors now know that a bacterial infection or some medications — not stress or diet — cause most Peptic Ulcers.
How do I recognise it?
Burning pain is the most common Peptic Ulcer symptom. The pain is caused by the Peptic Ulcer and is aggravated by stomach acid coming in contact with the ulcerated area. The pain typically may:
- Be felt anywhere from your navel up to your breastbone
- Last from a few minutes to several hours
- Be worse when your stomach is empty
- Flare at night
- Often be temporarily relieved by eating certain foods that buffer stomach acid or by taking an acid-reducing medication
- Disappear and then return for a few days or weeks
Causes
Although stress [1] and spicy foods were once thought to be the main causes of Peptic Ulcers, doctors now know that the cause of most Peptic Ulcers is the corkscrew-shaped bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).
H. pylori is the most common, but not the only, cause of Peptic Ulcers. Besides H. pylori, other causes of Peptic Ulcers, or factors that may aggravate them, include:
How do you treat it?
Like any disease, even if there is no cure, there is almost always something you can do to manage it and take control. There are three main areas involved in the treatment of any disease:
- Conventional medicines [3]
- Complementary medicines [4]
- Complementary therapies
For information on medicines [3] and therapies relevant to Peptic Ulcer diesease, make an appointment at Lynch's Pharmacy, Broadale, Douglas, Cork on 021-4366923.
Learn all about the drugs [3] used to treat the disease and any complementary medicines [4] or therapies proven to help. Equip yourself with the tools to manage the condition and not be managed by it.
How do you live with it?
Certain adjustments may be needed to get on with your life, and often, some simple tips and advice can go a long way to making these changes.
When you come to a Lynch's Pharmacy Clinic, we give you all the necessary information available to make your life more manageable and allow you to better live with your condition.
References
Peptic ulcer disease- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptic_ulcer_disease
Peptic ulcer disease, a comprehensive review http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peptic-ulcer/DS00242
http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Peptic-Ulcer-Disease.htm
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/peptic-ulcer/Pages/Introduction.aspx