The digestive system includes all the parts of the body that process food and expel waste, from your mouth to the end of your digestive tract. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract prevent your body from effectively using the food you eat. Learn more about digestive health from our experts.

Digestive Health

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5 Things You Do That Can Cause Ulcers

and Not Know It?

The term ulcer refers to open sores, which can occur in many parts of the body. Peptic ulcers are sores that develop in the lining of your stomach, esophagus or small intestine. Stomach ulcers usually happen when the stomach lining breaks down as a result of repeated irritation or infection. One culprit is the bacteria H. pylori, which may be responsible for up to 80 percent of all ulcers.

Dr. Oz explains how ulcers affect your stomach, and why people get them. &nbsp;

Peptic Ulcer Signs

Is It An Ulcer?

Several key medications are used to ease the pain of ulcers, reverse tissue damage and reduce excess stomach acid. But there are also important lifestyle changes that can heal your ulcer&mdash;and prevent it from coming back.

Healing Peptic Ulcers

Peptic Ulcer Pitfalls 

Dr. Jeanne Morrison, PhD

Sigma Nursing

The relative seriousness of ulcers depends upon the kind of ulcer it is and its level of severity. For instance, some ulcers, like canker sores, are usually very minor inconveniences that often do not require any medical attention. Other ulcers, like peptic ulcers or pressure sores (decubitus ulcers), can be serious if they are not treated with complications like internal bleeding, infection, and organ damage.

Are ulcers serious?

Diana Meeks

In most causes, duodenal ulcers are not serious. They usually respond well to treatment and do not have a major negative affect on the body. In some cases, however, complications can arise. Untreated ulcers can result in internal bleeding that requires hospitalization or a blood transfusion. Infection of the abdominal cavity and scar tissue that makes digestion more difficult are two other potentially serious complications of the disorder. In addition, duodenal ulcers may rupture or go through the muscle, affecting surrounding organs. This condition may require surgery.

Are duodenal ulcers serious?

By itself, a Meckel's diverticulum is not serious and only results in complications for 4.2 percent of those who it affects. But when you start developing Meckel's diverticulum ulcers, the situation can get serious. Most times the presence of ulcers allows early detection and calls for speedy removal. In some cases, people with rectal bleeding because of their ulcers need blood transfusions or iron replacements.

Are Meckel's diverticulum ulcers serious?

Untreated peptic (stomach) ulcers can have serious complications. The complications may vary according to the type of ulcer you have, but possibilities include serious infection, scarring, internal bleeding, and cancer. If you think you may have a peptic ulcer or other serious type of ulcer, you should talk to your healthcare provider.

Can ulcers have any complications?

Although they can be painful, ulcers that fail to heal are not, in themselves, serious. However, refractory ulcers are occasionally signs of a larger problem, like stomach cancer. When doctors are presented with a refractory ulcer, they generally attempt to determine whether or not underlying conditions exist. In addition, refractory ulcers can be serious if they become complicated, causing bleeding, scarring or perforating the lining of the organ they affect. In these cases, additional treatments are usually necessary.

Are refractory ulcers serious?

A duodenal ulcer is a kind of peptic ulcer in which a sore is formed in the duodenum, or the first part of the small intestine. A common problem, duodenal ulcers are usually caused by bacteria, although doctors in the past considered them the result of spicy foods and stress. Unless they are caused by rare forms of cancer, duodenal ulcers respond well to treatment.

What is a duodenal ulcer?

Peptic ulcers, which account for ulcers in the stomach, small intestine, and esophagus, are very common disorders. In fact, around 10 percent of people in America will suffer from one of these ulcers at some point in their lives. Refractory ulcers, however, are not very common. Refractory ulcers occur when peptic ulcers fail to respond to treatment. Since most peptic ulcers respond well to treatment, refractory ulcers are the minority.

How common are refractory ulcers?

Peptic ulcers are very common types of ulcers. In fact, these ulcers in the digestive tract are usually what people think of when they hear the word "ulcer." About one in ten Americans will have a peptic ulcer in their lifetime.

Is a peptic ulcer a common version of ulcers?

The word &quot;refractory&quot; simply means a disease that resists treatment or cure. Refractory ulcers, then, are those that cannot be cured, ulcers that persist regardless of treatment. An ulcer itself is a sore that appears in the lining of the stomach, small intestine, or esophagus. Generally, most ulcers respond well to a treatment of antibiotics and acid-reducing or eliminating drugs. Refractory ulcers, however, do not heal. This may be the result of several factors. People can develop refractory ulcers when they do not take their medicine as prescribed or overindulge in drinking or smoking. Additionally, refractory ulcers can be caused by diseases, like stomach cancer.

What is a refractory ulcer?

Generally, ulcers are relatively common conditions. One in ten Americans will develop a peptic ulcer, which is what people usually think of when they think of ulcers, at some time in their lives. Canker sores, another type of ulcer, are considered such everyday occurrences that they are regarded as more of a painful annoyance.

How common are ulcers?

Some kinds of peptic ulcers are easier to prevent than others. Stress can make you more susceptible to some ulcers, so reducing stress in your life can help prevent ulcers. Smokers develop peptic ulcers more often than non-smokers, so quitting is a good way to reduce your risk for ulcers. Heavy alcohol use can lead to peptic ulcers and should be avoided. Medications can cause some ulcers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; if you are concerned about ulcers and take a medication that can cause them, find out if you can change meds. Unfortunately, sometimes the main source of ulcers cannot be prevented. For instance, peptic ulcers are mostly caused by an infection, H. pylori, and it is not clear how H. pylori is transmitted. Some peptic ulcers can even be caused by rare conditions, as in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, the cause of which is unknown. In Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, tumors called gastrinomas cause far too much stomach acid to be present in the stomach.

How can peptic ulcers be prevented?

Ulcers are not contagious. However, peptic ulcers are often caused by a bacterial infection that can be spread, though doctors don&#39;t know for sure how it happens. They think it might be transmittable between people in close contact or possibly through contaminated water. It is important to remember that this infection is not the only cause of ulcers and that most of the time an H. pylori infection does not result in an ulcer. Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) may be caused by a viral infection among other things, but they are not considered contagious. (Canker sores are often mistaken for cold sores, which are contagious&mdash;but are not ulcers.)

Are ulcers contagious?

Columbia Admin

Columbia University Department of Surgery

A penetrating ulcer, also called penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer, is a rare condition that most commonly develops in the descending aorta. It occurs when plaque in the aorta from atherosclerosis forms ulcers that penetrate the aortic wall. By damaging the aortic wall, penetrating ulcers put patients at risk for aortic dissection or rupture. Although the appearance of a penetrating ulcer may resemble an aortic aneurysm or dissection on imaging scans, its cause, atherosclerosis, is unique.

What is a penetrating ulcer?

Daniel R. Spogen, MD

Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family Medicine

A stomach ulcer is a sore or erosion that develops on the lining of the stomach. Ulcers can also develop in the esophagus or a part of the small intestine called the duodenum. This can occur for several reasons. Some of the most common include frequent use of anti-inflammatory medications or infection with a bacterium called H. pylori.

What is a stomach ulcer?

Ulcers are caused by too much acid in the stomach, and the reason for excess acid is usually a bacterial infection or prolonged use of NSAID painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen. Smoking can also be a culprit. Ulcers cause pain, most often when the stomach is empty or at night. The pain can be felt in the chest, as low as the navel, or as high as the breastbone. Modern treatment is with medicine to kill bacterial infection and to block, suppress or neutralise excess acid.

Ulcers

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Hi, I'm Dr. Miller with a smart tip for your next holiday meal. Taking extra helping of the sauce as it heads around the dinner table, Cranberry relish. That's because Cranberry relish is made of one of the most antioxidant fruits on earth. Studies show these ruby red beauties may reduce both stomach ulcers and tooth decay. 

Cranberries have a long list of antioxidant superstars to their credit. More than 150 different health promoting vital chemicals. Cranberry nutrients make it harder for H. pylori, a bacterial culprit in stomach ulcers to [xx] of cells line in the stomach. Nutrients in cranberries also help produce plaque build up on your teeth. 

The result, tooth decay and gum disease. And there are plenty of other benefits to cranberries, they're low in calories and high in fiber, great if you're watching your weight. Some studies even suggest that cranberries could help lower cancer risk and improved cholesterol. For more ways to shape up and live better, keep watching all our health smart.

Cranberries are of among the most antioxidant-rich fruits on earth. They can help fight stomach ulcers and even tooth decay. In this video, Robin Miller, MD, explains how these popular holiday berries work.

Eat Cranberries for a Healthier Stomach and Mouth.

And also is basically a star that falls within the stomach and there's a lot of different ways that you can actually from an ulcer, the most common is taking aspirin or motrin any pain relievers because they take off that protective layer within the stomach and may cause these ulcers and now and is that really big that can cause pain and can cause bleeding, the way we treat those ulcers basically with a medication called Proton pump inhibitors and what that does is it blocks the acid and allows the stomach to heal itself and heal the ulcer.

When you think about it, an ulcer is a sore on the stomach. No wonder it hurts! Learn more about what can cause ulcers and which meds can help take the edge off ulcer pain by watching this video featuring gastroenterologist Dr. Lisa Ganjhu.

What Are the Treatment Options for Ulcers?

A sore or a lesion is like a, I don't want to call it a hole but basically it's the destruction of the mucosa of either the oesophagus, the stomach or the small bowel and the side of it is from acid and the protective lining of the stomach or the duodenum get shed from certain medications or infection, and allows it, the mucosa to erode.

An ulcer is an erosion of the stomach lining, esophagus, or small bowel, expalins Lisa Ganjhu, DO, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Medical Center. In this video learn more about what an ulcer is and how it is formed.

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