This is an automatically translated article.
Most people with peptic ulcers will feel a burning pain or discomfort between the navel and the breastbone. This feeling is especially evident on an empty stomach. The pain may stop when you eat or take an antacid, but then recur and last for a few minutes or hours.
1. What is a stomach ulcer?
Peptic ulcer refers to an open sore that occurs in the lining of the stomach or the upper part of the small intestine. This is because the acid in the stomach eats away at the protective mucus layer of the digestive tract. Patients may experience no symptoms, or conversely feel very uncomfortable or burning pain. Stomach ulcers have a risk of bleeding while the patient needs to go to the hospital for a blood transfusion.
There are two types of peptic ulcer disease:
Stomach ulcer : An ulcer that appears on the lining of the stomach Duodenal ulcer: An ulcer that appears on the top part of the small intestine where the organs digest and absorb food. Stomach ulcers can occur at any age, but the risk increases as you get older, especially if you smoke, drink alcohol, regularly eat spicy foods or are under stress.
2. Symptoms of stomach ulcers
Symptoms of stomach ulcers often include:
Burning pain in the upper abdomen, especially between meals and in the early morning (when hungry), or after drinking orange juice (sour juice), tomato coffee or alcohol, take aspirin. The discomfort should subside after taking an antacid. Black or bloody stools Distention, bloating, heartburn, heartburn Nausea or vomiting Eat quickly.
Ợ nóng, ợ chua là các triệu chứng của loét dạ dày
The pain of a stomach ulcer may come and go on its own for days or weeks. Small sores may not cause any symptoms. But if you notice any of these signs, see your doctor. In particular, the patient needs to go to a medical facility as soon as possible in the following cases:
You have been diagnosed with a stomach ulcer and started to have symptoms of anemia, such as dizziness, weakness, fatigue and pale skin. These are signs that the ulcer may be bleeding, also known as stomach bleeding. Symptoms of stomach ulcers appear with severe back pain. This is a sign that the ulcer may be puncturing the stomach wall. Stomach ulcer symptoms appear with vomiting of blood or a substance that looks like coffee grounds, or stools that are dark red, bloody, or black, or stool that looks like grape jelly. These are signs that you may have internal bleeding (internal bleeding) and call 911 immediately. A person with a stomach ulcer suddenly feels cold and weak or faints. This could be a sign of shock from massive blood loss, and call 911 immediately.
3. Diagnosis and treatment of stomach ulcers
3.1. Diagnosis To diagnose a peptic ulcer, your doctor will ask about your symptoms, medications you're taking (including NSAIDs), and your medical history. You will also be checked for bloating and abdominal pain.
The only way for your doctor to know for sure if you have a stomach ulcer is to do an X-ray or endoscopy test. Specifically, your doctor will insert a thin, flexible tube through your throat, then into your stomach and small intestine. The end of this tube has a small camera attached so the doctor can see the sores. Sometimes your doctor also takes a small sample of the lining of your stomach to test for the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (a common cause of stomach ulcers). In addition, blood, breath, and stool samples can also screen for bacteria.
Nội soi dạ dày giúp chẩn đoán loét dạ dày
3.1. Diagnosis To diagnose a peptic ulcer, your doctor will ask about your symptoms, medications you're taking (including NSAIDs), and your medical history. You will also be checked for bloating and abdominal pain.
The only way for your doctor to know for sure if you have a stomach ulcer is to do an X-ray or endoscopy test. Specifically, your doctor will insert a thin, flexible tube through your throat, then into your stomach and small intestine. The end of this tube has a small camera attached so the doctor can see the sores. Sometimes your doctor also takes a small sample of the lining of your stomach to test for the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (a common cause of stomach ulcers). In addition, blood, breath, and stool samples can also screen for bacteria.
3.2. Treatment Some peptic ulcers have the ability to heal on their own. But if you don't treat it, the sores tend to come back.
Sores can eat away at the walls of blood vessels in your stomach or small intestine, as well as eat a hole through the lining and cause an infection. Sometimes these ulcers cause swelling, which prevents food from moving from the stomach into the small intestine.
If H. pylori is the cause of your stomach ulcers, your doctor may prescribe a combination of antibiotics to kill the bacteria. If the cause of the sores is aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), you will need to cut back or stop taking them altogether and switch to a different pain reliever.
Your doctor may also prescribe antacids to combat the acid in your stomach or prescribe medications to reduce the acid your body makes. These are cytoprotective agents that help an ulcer in the lining of the stomach or small intestine to heal.
Finally, the patient should avoid smoking and drinking alcohol to limit the risk of stomach ulcers. Although stress and eating spicy foods do not directly cause stomach ulcers, they can make the condition worse and more difficult to treat. So you also need to limit these risk factors.
Visiting as soon as there are abnormal signs or periodic health check, detecting and treating early symptoms of stomach ulcers is a good way to help protect the health of yourself and your family members. Vinmec International General Hospital currently has general health check-up packages, performed by a team of experienced doctors and nurses with the support of modern technological equipment, which will detect the earliest signs of symptoms. of gastric ulcer disease, on that basis, propose the most optimal treatment regimen for each customer case.
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
Reference source: webmd.com
