Gastric Ulcer Treatment

Peptic ulcers are getting far more common in humans. These ulcers are open sores that develop on the inner lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Peptic ulcers are found on the lining of the duodenum, stomach and lower part of the esophagus. Those in the duodenum are called duodenal ulcers, whereas those ulcers that develop on the stomach lining are called gastric ulcers. Ulcers on the lower part of the esophagus are esophageal ulcers. The term peptic ulcer is used to denote the three different types of ulcers, collectively. Peptic ulcer may be caused by various reasons and the mode of treatment may vary with the specific cause and severity of the condition.

Gastric Ulcers - Causes and Symptoms

So, now you know that these ulcers develop on the inner lining of the stomach. Basically, such ulcers are caused by an imbalance between the protective mucus lining of the stomach and the amount of acids produced by the organ. Due to such imbalance, the protective lining of the stomach gets damaged and this results in gastric ulcers. There are various risk factors for this condition and the most common among them is the helicobacter pylori infection. Even though there are people who do not develop ulcers even if they have this bacterium in this stomach, around 70% to 80% of the gastric ulcers are found to be caused by these pathogens. Other causes include stress, regular use of certain pain killers and other prescription medication, excessive smoking and/or alcohol consumption. It is said that spicy food is not a cause for the occurrence of these ulcers. But, such food may worsen the symptoms. That is why a gastric ulcer diet is often recommended for relief from the symptoms of this condition.

As in case of other ulcers, abdominal pain is the common symptom of these ulcers. In this case, the pain is mostly found to occur right below the sternum. It may also happen that the pain develops on the right or left upper quadrant of the abdomen. As the symptoms of gastric and duodenal ulcers are almost similar, the former is said to be distinguishable with the type of pain. In case of gastric ulcers, abdominal pain is said to start after meals (in case of duodenal ones, pain starts when the stomach is empty). In case the pain is radiating to the back, it is likely that the person has posterior penetrating gastric ulcer, along with pancreatitis.

Treatment for Gastric Ulcers

These ulcers are diagnosed through blood tests, stool tests, endoscopy, CT scan and X-rays. Once detected, gastric ulcer treatment is decided on the basis of its causes as well as severity of the condition. Severity includes bleeding and/or perforated ulcers.

• As the most common cause of gastric ulcers is helicobacter pylori infection, treatment in this case includes medication like antibiotics, combined with acid suppressants.
• If there is no helicobacter pylori infection, in such cases, treatment includes a combination of certain medication like antacids, proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists.
• In case of bleeding ulcers, endotherapy is used as treatment. This may include injection therapy, hemostatic clips and coagulation therapy.
• If medication do not work, surgery may be required to treat gastric ulcers. Surgery is almost unavoidable in those with perforated ulcers (ulcers that erode the wall of the stomach, resulting in a hole).
• Surgery may become necessary in ulcers that continue to bleed, even after repeated use of medication and endotherapy. Surgical treatment is done in case of giant ulcers and those which cause gastric outlet obstruction.
• Surgical gastric treatment may involve vagotomy, in which the vagus nerve is cut, so as to control the production of gastric acid in the stomach. Even partial gastrectomy (removal of a part of the stomach) may be done in certain cases.

The above said is only a general view about the different modes of treatment for gastric ulcers. Such treatment may not be the same for all patients. As mentioned above, it may vary with the cause of the condition in individual cases and the type and severity of the ulcers. So, your doctor will be the best person to decide about the right gastric ulcer treatment for you. You may also resort to alternative treatments, if such treatments do not interfere with the regular one.