Duodenal Ulcer

Duodenal Ulcer – General Information

A bacterium named Helicobacter pylori is known to generally cause an infection in the organism. This infection might turn into duodenal ulcer if it is not treated appropriately. However, sometimes, long term therapies with anti-inflammatory drugs have the same effect. A lot of people think that this type of ulcer is the cause of an excess of acid which comes from the stomach. This is false. Most people with this illness produce a medium amount of acid. The issue that triggers this condition is the mode in which the duodenum deals with the acid. The duodenum produces mucus and chemicals which cover the exterior and are supposed to offer the tissues an effective protection from the acid. The disease appears only if this protection is damaged by the acid. Here are some causes: The first is an infection caused by H. pylori. 95 % of patients develop this medical condition due to this bacterium. The bacterium interferes in the lining of the duodenum, thus permitting the acid to provoke inflammation and / or ulcers. The second catalyst, in order of frequency, is the therapy with anti-inflammatory medicines. Many people start to develop muscular pains, arthritis, etc. Such medications include: ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac and so on. These medical drugs sometimes interfere with the lining of the duodenum, permitting the acid to cause the ulcer. Apart from these causes, other parasites or medicines that trigger this medical condition are few. An example is the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. People who have this rare condition produce a lot more acid than normally. This condition is determined by several factors like drinking heavily, stress and smoking that may also increase the chance of having duodenal ulcer. Even so, these are not essential causes.

Duodenal Ulcer – Symptoms

Symptoms of duodenal ulcer are: discomfort below the sternum / breastbone, in the upper abdomen. This symptom generally comes and goes. It becomes very unpleasant when you are hungry or before meals. It may be moderated if you have a meal, or take some antacid medicines. Retching, feeling sick or bloating are some other symptoms which can occur. Furthermore, you may experience a sense of 'fullness' after a meal. Every now and then, nourishment causes the pain to get worse. A good thing is that complications do not develop in a large number of cases. However, if such complications appear, they may be very serious. The most severe conditions that could derive from a duodenal condition include perforation, when the ulcer ‘perforates’ right through the tissue of the duodenum. Then, acid and food from the duodenum dribble into the abdominal cavity and triggers severe pain. Such a medical issue is considered an emergency. Another complication which may appear is a ‘leak’ of blood from the ulcer that may range from some drops to a life-threatening loss of blood. If an ulcer starts to bleed, the regurgitation may contain a digested certain brown blood, resembling brown coffee grounds or it may contain bright red blood. Other symptoms of duodenal ulcer are weight gain and a burning feeling in the back part of the throat which can be caused by drinking coffee, citrus juice or taking aspirins on a regular basis.

Duodenal Ulcer – Treatment    

An endoscopy test is required to confirm or infirm if you have a duodenal ulcer. This test consists in a medical examination performed by a doctor. The physician looks inside your duodenum and stomach with a flexible, thin telescope which he passes down the oesophagus. Thus, the ulcers or inflammation can easily be seen. Then, if the endoscopy has determined that you have a duodenal ulcer, you will probably have to perform a test which will detect the potential presence of the Helicobacter pylori bacterium. If this bug is found, the cause of this ulcer has been established. The detection is made from a sample of biopsy taken while performing the endoscopy, in a ‘breath test”, or from a sample of faeces. There are people that found out that they have duodenal ulcer a few years ago, when it was not known that Helicobacter pylori can cause the disease. The medications that were prescribed then proved to be efficient for a short period of time. However, at the end of the therapy, the ulcer reappeared. Almost all duodenal ulcers are the effect of a contamination with H. pylori. As a consequence, the treatment that is given in most of the cases is supposed to treat this infection. For this, several antibiotics have proved to be highly effective. Furthermore, a drug to minimize the acid in the abdomen is required (this increases the beneficial effects of your antibiotic therapy).

This 'combination therapy', at times named 'triple therapy', must be taken for a week and it is known to wipe out H. pylori infection in about 90% of the cases. In most medical cases, no other tests or treatment are required as the symptoms usually disappear. Nonetheless, there are small chances that the H. pylori infection will come back sometimes in the future. If the symptoms do not disappear or if they return, or if you developed severe complications (perforation for example) additional tests will have do be done after this ‘combination therapy’. If the cause of your ulcer is an anti-inflammatory medicine, the dosage should be diminished or the therapy with the drug ought to be stopped. In this way the ulcer should start to heal. Although this medical condition (duodenal ulcer) is known to quickly and effectively respond to an appropriate prophylaxis (treatment), several changes in ones lifestyle (routine) are generally encouraged by most doctors. This will prevent the ulcer from reoccurring. Patients should give up smoking or should stop using other tobacco products, cut back on caffeine and alcohol consumption. They are also advised to avoid the intake of medicines that cause inflammation of the stomach, like aspirin, naproxen or ibuprofen. Any other lifestyle changes, such as managing stress, keeping fit, resting appropriately, eating balanced meals full of nutrients, are welcomed and have great effects.