Gastric ulcer

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Stomach ulcer, X-ray

Ulcer emergencies

Gastroscopy procedure

Location of peptic ulcers

Cause of peptic ulcers

Stomach disease or trauma

Gastric ulcer

Alternative Names:

Ulcer - stomach; Peptic disease; Stomach ulcer
Treatment:

For people with Helicobacter pylori infection, the main goal is eradication of the organism that causes the problem. Multiple regimens are effective and usually include either an H2 receptor antagonist such as famotidine (Pepcid) or nizatidine (Axid) or a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole (Prilosec) or esomeprazole (Nexium) to suppress acid, combined with two antibiotics.

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For people without H. pylori infection, ulcer-healing medications such as antacids, H2 receptor antagonists, or proton pump inhibitors are usually effective. Long-term treatment may be required.

In the event of bleeding from the ulcer, endoscopic therapy can control bleeding in most cases.

Surgical intervention may be recommended for people who do not respond to medical therapy or to endoscopic therapy for bleeding. A vagotomy (cutting the vagus nerve, which controls the stomach's production of gastric acid) or a partial gastrectomy (removal of part of the stomach) may be necessary.

Self-help measures include:

Avoiding smoking
Avoiding tea, coffee, and soft drinks containing caffeine
Avoiding alcohol
Avoiding aspirin and NSAIDs
Eating several small meals a day at regular intervals

Expectations (prognosis):

Most ulcers heal with medication in 6 to 8 weeks. Recurrence is common, but is less likely if H. pylori infection is treated and acid-blocking medications are continued.

Complications: