Peptic Ulcers - What Causes Them?

Diagnosis of peptic ulcers is not a very extensive process. A simple blood test and an endoscopy suffice the diagnosis. In endoscopy a long and thing tube attached to a camera at its head is inserted through the mouth and throat of the patient into the stomach and down the duodenum. While withdrawing the apparatus, it also scrapes the ulcer in very minute portion for biopsy to check its malignancy.

When the peptic ulcers become very severe the condition then leads to severe symptoms also. The patient may feel trouble breathing and experience blood in both stool and vomiting. This happens because the ulcers eat up the cells of the stomach s inner lining as well as that of the small intestine. The open ulcers then start bleeding and the blood comes out with vomit or stool. The vomit and the stool may appear dark red or black due to the ulcers.

Alcohol is basically acidic in nature. Excess alcohol consumption erodes the mucous lining of the stomach as well as the intestine thereby causing the acid in the stomach to increase. The increased acid starts eating up the inner walls of the stomach and the upper part of the small intestine.

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that enters the body and normally stays in the digestive tract. The bacteria can live in the digestive tract without causing any harm for several years. But after many years it can get activated and cause ulcers in the stomach and upper part of the small intestine. The bacteria enter via unclean food or water or may also get in by close contact like kissing another person who has the infection.