The Ulcer Symptoms

Stomach Ulcer Introduction
What is a stomach ulcer? A small hole in the gastrointestinal tract is known as Stomach Ulcer or peptic ulcer. The ulcer that occurs in first 12 inches of small intestine beyond the stomach is the most common type and its called duodenal. A stomach ulcer size can be between 1/8 of an inch to ¾ of an inch. Ulcers that are formed in stomach are called gastric ulcers. Stomach ulcers are very painful while the duodenal ulcers are mostly not painful. Stomach ulcer are very common and every year the affect million Americans.

Causes of Stomach Ulcers?
Stomach ulcers are caused by the gastric or intestinal mucosal lining destruction. This destruction is caused by hydrochloric acid, its an acid normally present in digestive juices of the stomach. Gastric and duodenal ulcers are caused by infection with the bacterium helicobacter pylori. Helicobacter pylori can be transmitted from one person to another through infected food and water. Helicobacter pylori peptic ulcers can be treated with antibiotics.
Regular and continuous use of anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin can also cause ulcers. Cigarette smoking is another important cause of ulcer.
Stomach Ulcer Symptoms
The burning feeling in the stomach is the one main symptom of stomach ulcers. This feeling can remain between half an hour to three hours. Stomach ulcer pain mostly occurs in the upper abdomen, but on some occasions it also occurs below the breastbone. Some people feel this pain right after their meal but for some people this pain occurs hours after eating. The pain can awaken people at night. You may feel pain for weeks and then no pain for some weeks. This pain can be relieved by having some rest, drinking milk, eating or taking antacids.
Some other symptoms are appetite and sudden weight loss. Duodenal ulcer surfers gain weight because they eat more to relieve pain. Persistent vomiting, black stool or blood in the stool and anemia are few other symptoms.
Risks of Developing a Stomach Ulcer
• People who have a family history of ulcers
• Smoking, it also causes delay in treatment
• Excess alcohol consumption
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatorymedications (aspirin) or corticosteroids.
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
• Irregular or skipped meals, Improper diet
• Blood Type O (duodenal ulcers)
• Stress, it is not a cause of ulcer, but it can be a contributing factor
• Chronic disorders such as liver disease, emphysema, rheumatoid arthritis may increase exposure to ulcers