Stomach ulcers are painful sores that can be found in the stomach lining or small intestine. Stomach ulcers are the most visible sign of peptic ulcer disease. They occur when the thick layer of mucus that protects your stomach from digestive juices is reduced, thus enabling the digestive acids to eat away at the lining tissues of the stomach.

Symptoms of Stomach Ulcers:

At our Gastro & Liver Clinic in Gurgaon we have seen that an ulcer may or may not have symptoms. When symptoms occur, they may include:

A severe or burning pain in the middle or upper stomach between meals or at night

Bloating

Heartburn

Nausea or vomiting

Dark or black stool (due to bleeding)

Vomiting blood (that can look like "coffee-grounds")

Weight loss

Severe pain in the mid to upper abdomen

Stomach ulcers aren’t necessarily caused by one single factor. It is observed at our Gastro and Liver Centre in Gurgaon that decrease in the stomach’s mucus lining that leads to an ulcer is usually caused by one of the following:

An infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)

Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen

Excess acid (hyperacidity) in the stomach, which may be related to genetics, lifestyle (stress, smoking), and certain foods.

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare disease that makes the body produce excess stomach acid

Can Stomach Ulcers be Serious?

Though ulcers often heal on their own, you shouldn't ignore their warning signs. If not properly treated, ulcers can lead to serious health problems, including:

Bleeding

Perforation (a hole through the wall of the stomach)

Gastric outlet obstruction from swelling or scarring that blocks the passage way leading from the stomach to the small intestine.

As mentioned above most of the times these ulcers may heal on their own. However in certain cases they need to be treated. It is always in the best interest of the patient to get the stomach ulcer checked and diagnosed properly by a gastro specialist or a gastroenterologist. At our Gastro and Liver Centre Dr Mayank Chugh treats stomach ulcers through:

Life Style Changes - To treat an ulcer, first eliminate substances that can be causing the ulcers. If you smoke or drink alcohol then it is time to call it quits. If the ulcer is believed to be caused by the use of pain killers or other anti inflamatory medicines then they need to be stopped.

Medication - Most of the stomach ulcers if diagnosed well in time can be treated through medicines.

Surgery - In certain cases we perform surgery to treat stomach ulcers. Surgery is required if the ulcer has created a hole in the wall of the stomach or if there is serious bleeding that can't be controlled through conservative methods.