Peptic Ulcer

Information

Ulcers can form in all parts of the digestive system as a result of various diseases. The most common are gastric and duodenal ulcers - they represent one of the main disease entities that bring patients to a gastroenterologist - whether as an emergency due to bleeding or acute onset of pain. The latter are most often caused by the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach, which we can detect and treat successfully.

Signs and Complaints

Most commonly, when a gastric or duodenal ulcer is present, pain is what brings patients to a gastroenterologist. It is intense, occurring after eating or on an empty stomach, and sometimes radiates to the back. In rarer cases, ulcers bleed and are accompanied by melaena - loose black stools resulting from bleeding in the upper parts of the digestive system - or haematemesis - vomiting of blood.

Approach and Treatment

In such patients, if there is bleeding and a direct threat to their life, it is important to stabilise their condition - transfusion of blood products, fluid and electrolyte solutions, proton pump inhibitors, and other medications - and to perform an endoscopy to assess the ulcer itself. Endoscopic treatment of some ulcers may be necessary, including injection of an adrenaline solution, placement of metal clips to stop the bleeding, or - if a malignant nature of the ulcer is suspected - taking biopsies for histological examination, since in some cases gastric ulcers may represent cancer.