Peptic Ulcer Disease
Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) occurs
when stomach acid penetrates the stomach or duodenal
causing sores. One major cause is a bacterium called
Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori). Your doctor can prescribe
antibiotics that treat H. Pylori. A second cause of
ulcers is regular use of Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory
Drugs (NSAIDS e.g. Celebrex, Aspirin, BC or Goody powder,
Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, Aleve) that are commonly used
for pain relief. Often, people who develop ulcers on
these medications do not have typical symptoms of pain,
nausea or vomiting.
Because ulcers can be caused by regular use of NSAIDS,
if you are taking over-the-counter pain medications
on a regular basis, you should talk with your physician
about the potential for ulcers and other GI side effects.
Symptoms of ulcers include abdominal pain, nausea or
vomiting. Serious complications include bleeding, perforation
or obstruction. REMEMBER, about half the people who
present with a perforated or bleeding ulcer do not report
any other prior symptoms.
Ulcers can be healed with medications that can decrease
acid production and sometimes these medications need
to be taken lifelong, esp. if ulcer was complicated
by bleeding or perforation. H. Pylori induced ulcers
can be cured in 85-90% people by a course of antibiotics.
For more information, you may visit the following websites:
• http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/patientinfo/ulcers.as
• http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hpylori/index.htm
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