Ulcer and its Cause

Reason behind Ulcer Formation The stomach is a bag of muscle that crushes and mixes food with the digestive "juices" hydrochloric acid and pepsin.  If the lining of the stomach (or duodenum) is damaged in one place or another, then pepsin and the acid go to work on the lining as they would on food, break it down as though to digest it. A peptic ulcer is an area of damage to the inner lining of the stomach, esophagus, or duodenum . Over 25 million Americans will have a peptic ulcer at some point in their lifetime. The people of all ages can suffer from ulcer. And also men and women are equally affected. An ulcer is the result of an imbalance between aggressive and defensive factor. On one hand, too much acid and pepsin can damage the tissue of the stomach lining and cause ulcer formation. On the other hand (more commonly), this damage comes first from some other causes, makes the stomach lining susceptible to even an ordinary level of gastric acid. A peptic ulcer is a sore in the lining of stomach or duodenum, the first part of small intestine. Stomach burning pain is the most common symptom. This kind of pain starts between meals or sometimes during the night, stops when eating or taking antacid, may lasts for minute to hour, also comes and goes for several days or weeks. The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer is abdominal pain.  Peptic ulcers include: Gastric ulcer-that occur on the inside of the stomach. Esophageal ulcer-that occur inside the hollow tube (esophagus) that carries food from throat to stomach. Duodenal ulcer-that occur on the inside of the upper portion of small intestine (duodenum).

Ulcer formation in different location

 

Factors playing a role in the development of ulcer may include:

1.      Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
Research shows that most ulcer formation is a result of infection with a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).  The bacterium produces substances that weaken the stomach's protective mucus and make it more susceptible to the damaging effects of acid and pepsin, so, produce more acid.

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) was established as the leading cause of peptic ulcers in the early 1980s.  It was also found to cause gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining for damaged tissue).

H. pylori is a spiral-shaped bacterium that can live and grow on the lining tissue of stomach. It has seen that some people are infected with H. pylori and do not show any symptom of infection or sometimes never develop an ulcer. In other people, the organism may persist for years before any symptoms develop.

It remains unclear why some people develop symptoms of infection and some do not. It is also not very clear exactly in which way H. pylori is transmitted from person to person.  In United States, H. pylori infection is more common among the elderly.

              When H. pylori bacteria cause ulcers, physicians think it happens like below:

a)      At first Bacteria weaken the protective coating of the stomach and upper small intestine.

b)     The acid in the stomach then gets through to the sensitive tissue lining the digestive system underneath.

c)      And finally, acid and bacteria directly irritate this lining resulting in sores or formation of ulcer.

2.      Smoking
Studies show smoking increases the chances of getting an ulcer. Smoking slow the healing process of existing ulcer and contributes to ulcer recurrence. And this is another health-related reason for children and teenagers who smoke to quit.

3.      Caffeine
Caffeine seems to stimulate acid secretion in the stomach, that can aggravate the pain of an existing ulcer. Although, the stimulation of stomach acid cannot be attributed solely to caffeine.

4.      Stress
Though motional stress is no longer thought to be a cause of ulcer, people with ulcer often report that emotional stress increases ulcer pain.  Physical stress may increase the risk of developing ulcer, mainly in the stomach.  For example, people with injuries (such as severe burns) and people undergoing major surgery often require rigorous treatment to prevent ulcer and ulcer complications.

5.      Acid and pepsin
It is believed that the inability of stomach to defend itself against the powerful digestive fluid, hydrochloric acid and pepsin, contributes to ulcer formation.

6.      Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAID (such as aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen) can make the stomach vulnerable to the harmful effects of acid and pepsin. These are present in many non-prescription medications used for treatment of fever, headache, and minor aches and pain.

7.      Miscellaneous Syndromes and Disorders.

  Fewer than 5% of peptic ulcer are due to these disorder. They include Zollinge Ellison syndrome, a disorder in which small tumor, called gastrinomas, secrete a hormone (gastrin) that stimulates the production of digestive juice.  Because of this excess secretion, this kind of disorder is sometimes called hypersecretory syndromes.