Stomach ulcer
A gastric ulcer is a pathological process that is characterized by systemic changes in the body in the presence of local manifestations in the form of an ulcer in the wall of the stomach.Also you can buy aciphex
It is customary to distinguish between several types of stomach ulcers:
• Antrum ulcer
• Gatekeeper's ulcer
• Body ulcer of the stomach.
According to the level of acidity of gastric juice, a stomach ulcer can be:
• With high acidity (most common)
• Low acidity
• With normal acidity levels.
Disease symptoms
The clinical manifestations of gastric ulcer are quite striking. The severity of symptoms depends on the stage of the disease - remission or exacerbation. The most typical complaints appear during an exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease.
So, the main symptoms of a stomach ulcer are as follows:
• Pain in the epigastric region
• The intensity of pain can vary.
• They can be either permanent or periodic.
• Most often, hunger pains occur, which decrease after eating
• The nature of the pain is also different - from aching to sharp cutting
• Heartburn or rotten belching appears, depending on the level of gastric acidity
• Stool is disturbed - there may be constipation with high acidity or diarrhea with low acidity
• Nausea and vomiting
• Bloating
• Rumbling in the abdomen, as the underlying gastrointestinal tract is affected.
Causes of the disease
Currently, the cause of the development of gastric ulcer is reliably known. This is an infection with Helicobacter, which grows and multiplies well in the acidic environment of the stomach, having certain protective factors. Infection usually occurs by the fecal-oral mechanism. This means that a person can become infected:
• Through an infected dish with which to eat
• Poor hand washing
• Through contaminated food, etc.
Diagnostics
Diagnostic search for suspected gastric ulcer has two main purposes:
• Confirm the presence of a peptic ulcer in the stomach wall
• Confirm the presence of Helicobacter in the body.
The realization of the first goal is possible due to the following research methods:
• X-ray with the use of barium suspension
• Fibrogastroduodenoscopy, which involves visualization of the gastric mucosa using a special magnifying technique.
To identify the infection of the body with Helicobacter, the following diagnostic tests are used:
• Urease, which is based on the detection of urease in the exhaled air (it appears as a result of the vital activity of Helicobacter in the stomach)
• PCR diagnostics that detects unique nucleic acid sequences characteristic of Helicobacter
• Serological diagnostic methods, which involve the determination of various classes of immunoglobulins to Helicobacter
• Special tests that are performed during fibrogastroduodenoscopy.
In parallel, studies are being carried out to exclude the development of various complications of gastric ulcer. For this purpose, an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs is shown, as well as an X-ray contrast study using barium, and an assessment of its intake outside the stomach.
Complications
Lack of timely diagnosis and treatment of gastric ulcer can lead to the development of complications. The consequences of pathology include the following:
• Perforation of the stomach wall, that is, the formation of a through defect that connects the lumen of the stomach with the abdominal cavity
• Penetration, that is, the formation of a defect in the wall of the stomach, which is covered by a nearby organ. It could be an omentum or pancreas
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Malignancy, that is, the development of a malignant oncological process in the area of the ulcer.