Peptic ulcer disease

Peptic ulcer disease is often referred to as ‘ulcer’ by most people. It is a relatively common complaint in our society and frequently discussed concerning not eating enough. 

An ulcer, in the simplest terms, is a wound or an open sore. When this wound or sore is located in the stomach and intestine and penetrates to the inner layer (called the mucularis mucosae), we can say that the individual has a peptic ulcer.

Peptic ulcers can occur in different sizes and can affect anybody from children to the aged. However, peptic ulcer disease is found most commonly among young adults and middle-aged people.

Peptic ulcers are a real source of discomfort and pain to the sufferer. The stomach’s typical environment, where some ulcers are, is acidic, which is very important for proper food digestion. However, in a person with a peptic ulcer, imagine acidic fluid in the stomach being poured over a wound. Imagine food having being mixed with acid, passing over an injury in the beginning part of the small intestine where other peptic ulcers are located. It is the basis for most of the complaints that people with peptic ulcers have. It can be a severe condition, negatively affecting normal appetite and often leading to severe complications if left untreated. There are two types of peptic ulcer:

Gastric Ulcer: This occurs when the ulcer is in the lining of the stomach sac itself.

Duodenal ulcer: In this case, the ulcer is in the beginning part of the small intestine.

What causes peptic ulcer disease?

Contrary to popular opinion, Peptic ulcer disease is necessarily not caused by a refusal to eat. There are two common causes of peptic ulcer:

Infection from a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, or H.pylori: Infection with this organism is associated with 50 per cent of gastric ulcer cases and up to 70 per cent of duodenal ulcer cases. The bacterium can survive the acidic environment of the stomach by covering itself with protective alkaline. It then multiplies greatly and steadily begins to destroy the stomach’s layers and the beginning part of the small intestine, exposing these delicate parts to acid. It causes a lot of pain and discomfort.

Indiscriminate use of a class of medications referred to as NSAIDs: Ideally, you should always seek the advice of doctors, qualified pharmacists, and health workers before taking any medication. Individuals often abuse common NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and diclofenac.

Unfortunately, these medications also act like H.pylori in destroying the mucosal lining of the stomach and intestine. Thus, they also strip the gut of protection and allow direct contact with acid. Many over-the-counter medications for pain or fever contain these NSAIDs, and their indiscriminate use has dramatically contributed to the development of peptic ulcer disease in a lot of people.

A type of tumour called gastrinoma can cause too much secretion of gastrin, leading to ulcers. It is called Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome but is a rare condition.

Doctors can often make the diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease by evaluating the medical history provided by the patient. Further, blood or stool samples can be tested for the presence of H.pylori and by carrying out an upper Gastro-Intestinal endoscopy.

Risk factors of peptic ulcer disease

Cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for peptic ulcer disease. Furthermore, smoking also delays wound healing and raises the ulcer’s possibility even if one gets cured initially.

Family history: In many cases of duodenal ulcer, strong family history is identified.

Bad eating habits: It is essential to understand food intolerances and sensitivities in dealing with peptic ulcer disease. Certain food items like excess pepper tend to make symptoms worse and should be avoided outright and replaced with less problematic alternatives.

Symptoms of peptic ulcer disease

Pain: this is the most typical complaint. The pain is usually described as ‘burning’ or ‘biting’ in nature, while others say it feels like extreme hunger pangs. It is in the upper middle part of the abdomen. In gastric ulcer, the pain reduces with food. In duodenal ulcer, food worsens it, especially about two to three hours after the meal, often waking sufferers from sleep. These patterns may generally differ in different people.

It includes Bloating, Nausea/vomiting, Poor appetite and Weight loss.

Complications of peptic ulcer disease

Poorly managed peptic ulcer disease can lead to severe complications, some of which may warrant hospital admission and surgery. These include:

Bleeding: Bleeding can occur from the ulcer site in the stomach or small intestine. Bleeding may be mild, moderate, or severe. It may present as vomiting of bright red blood (this is called hematemesis) or passage of very dark, “tarry,” and smelly stool referred to as melena. With moderate to severe blood loss, the individual may feel extremely weak, sweat profusely, or even faint.

Management of peptic ulcer disease

As with all medical conditions, management of peptic ulcer disease at Mart-Life Detox Clinic inculcates the Mayr approach.

The medical evaluation includes history taking, physical examination, appropriate blood, stool radiological imaging, and bioenergetic testing. The assessment helps highlight details of food sensitivity/intolerance of the individual.

The sufferer of peptic ulcer disease needs to know what food items they need to stay away from to minimize the chances of a crisis.

Bioenergetic test can also be recommended, as it highlight chemical and environmental toxins to which individuals might have been exposed, which may be making the situation worse.