What is a stomach ulcer?
For years people thought that stomach ulcers were caused by stress, bad lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and over indulgence in rich and spicy foods. Now whilst these factors can certainly make ulcer symptoms feel worse they really are not the cause of the offending ulcers.
In the 1980’s two Australian scientists proved that infection by a common bacteria called helicobacter pylori were the main cause of stomach ulcers. This meant that treatments based on antibiotics could be devised to rid people of the infection and cure the ulcers completely. Previously radical surgery would often be used. More recently it has shown that some strains of h pylori are involved in some stomach cancers.
Stomach is the term that a layman associates with digestive tract in the abdomen, although medically the stomach is a small bag like part of the upper digestive tract. Stomach ulcer layman language and peptic ulcer in the medical language means a wound in the lining anywhere in the lining membrane of the food pipe (esophagus), stomach or the upper part of the small intestine known as the duodenum.
A stomach ulcer (also called a peptic ulcer) is a small erosion (hole) in the gastrointestinal tract. The most common type, duodenal, occurs in the first 12 inches of small intestine beyond the stomach. Ulcers that form in the stomach are called gastric ulcers. An ulcer is not contagious or cancerous. Duodenal ulcers are almost always benign, while stomach ulcers may become malignant. Stomach ulcer disease is common, affecting millions of Americans yearly. The size of a stomach ulcer can range between 1/8 of an inch to 3/4 of an inch. Stomach Ulcers may be a symptom of another disease or condition. Stomach ulcers are often common in mastocytosis. Bleeding from stomach ulcers may cause iron deficiency anemia.
