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Oh ,That Pain In My Stomach :-( Stomach Ulcers and Helicobacter

© Neal Rolfe Chamberlain

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with a gnawing or burning in your stomach (between your breastbone and naval)? Or does this gnawing, burning, sensation occur between meals? Does this sensation last from a few minutes to a few hours? Can you relieve the pain by eating or by taking antacids?

If you can answer "yes" to the above statements then you may have an ulcer. You should go see your doctor. If you also have nausea, vomiting, loss of weight, loss of appetite, tarry black stools, or have vomited blood, then don't pass go, don't collect $200 -- go directly to your doctors for a checkup.

An ulcer is a sore that forms in the lining of your stomach or at the beginning of your small intestine (duodenum). Stomach ulcers are called gastric ulcers and those in your duodenum are called duodenal ulcers. A more general term is peptic ulcer which refers to ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.

In the United States, four million people are affected by ulcers every year. Nearly 20 million Americans develop at least one ulcer in their lifetime. More than 40,000 of them have surgery because of persistant ulcer problems. About 6,000 of them die because of ulcer-related complications.

Ulcers are very uncommon in teenagers and children. Duodenal ulcers are most common in people between the ages of 30 and 50. Gastric ulcers are more common in people over the age of 60. Men have more problems with duodenal ulcers than women. Women have more problems with gastric ulcers than men. People who are in lower socio-economic classes also are much more likely to have an ulcer. Ulcers occur worldwide and are most common in developing countries.

For nearly 100 years, physicians believed that stress and diet were what caused ulcers. The truth is that nearly all ulcers are started by a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori! After the ulcer is started then the stomach acid makes it worse, sort of like pouring acid on a wound. The wound gets bigger and boy does it hurt! Another cause of ulcers is the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Aspirin and ibuprofen are examples of over-the-counter NSAIDs.

Now don't get me wrong - certain lifestyle choices can make your ulcer worse. If you smoke your ulcers are much slower in healing. Caffeine can aggravate your ulcer by causing your stomach to make more acid. Stress can also increase your ulcer pain. The most likely reason you got the ulcer in the first place, however, was because you were infected with Helicobacter pylori .

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