Diagnosis of Peptic Ulcers (Stomach or Duodenal Ulcers)

How do doctors diagnose a peptic ulcer?

Your doctor may ask you about your medical and family history, perform a physical exam, and order tests to diagnose a peptic ulcer, find its cause, and check for complications.

Medical and family history

To help diagnose peptic ulcers and check for factors that cause ulcers, your doctor will take a medical and family history. Your doctor may ask about

• your symptoms
• your medical history, including any past peptic ulcers or Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections
• medicines you take, especially nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• your family history of peptic ulcers, H. pylori infection, or cancer in the digestive tract

To help diagnose a peptic ulcer, your doctor will take a medical and family history.

Physical exam

A physical exam may help a doctor diagnose peptic ulcers or ulcer complications. During a physical exam, a doctor most often

• checks for swelling in your abdomen
• listens to sounds within your abdomen using a stethoscope
• taps on your abdomen checking for tenderness or pain

What tests do doctors use to diagnose peptic ulcers?

Doctors may order medical tests to help diagnose peptic ulcers, find the cause, and check for complications.

Blood test

Doctors may use blood tests to check for signs of H. pylori infection or complications of peptic ulcers. For a blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from you and send the sample to a lab.

Urea breath test

Doctors may use a urea breath test to check for H. pylori infection. For the test, you will swallow a capsule, liquid, or pudding that contains urea “labeled” with a special carbon atom. If H. pylori is present, the bacteria will convert the urea into carbon dioxide. After a few minutes, you will breathe into a container, exhaling carbon dioxide.

A health care professional will test your exhaled breath. If the test detects the labeled carbon atoms, the health care professional will confirm an H. pylori infection in your digestive tract.

Stool test

Doctors may use stool tests to check for H. pylori infection. Your doctor will give you a container for catching and holding a stool sample. You will receive instructions on where to send or take the kit for testing.

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and biopsy

Doctors may order an upper GI endoscopy to confirm the diagnosis of a peptic ulcer and try to find its cause.

For an upper GI endoscopy, a doctor uses an endoscope—a flexible tube with a camera—to see the lining of your upper GI tract, including your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. During upper GI endoscopy, a doctor obtains biopsies by passing an instrument through the endoscope to take small pieces of tissue from your stomach lining. A pathologist will examine the tissue under a microscope.

Upper GI series

In some cases, doctors may order an upper GI series to help diagnose peptic ulcers or ulcer complications. Upper GI series uses x-rays and a chalky liquid you swallow called barium to view your upper GI tract.

Ulcers: Common Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

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Authored by Revere Health

August 17, 2016 | Gastroenterology

You may be familiar with the burning pain of acid reflux that travels from your stomach up to your chest after a meal, but this new pain feels different. It’s more like a constant gnawing in your middle or upper stomach between meals. You also feel bloated and often nauseous. What’s going on?

Chances are good that you are one of the 500,000 new cases of peptic ulcers diagnosed each year. Approximately 5 million Americans suffer with an ulcer of some sort, although not every person experiences symptoms.

In addition to the more common burning, bloating and nausea, severe symptoms include:

Dark stool caused by bleeding

Vomiting blood that might resemble coffee grounds

Severe pain in the mid to upper abdomen

Weight loss

What Causes Peptic Ulcers?

This disorder of the upper gastrointestinal tract is the result of damage to the mucosa, the moist tissue that lines the esophagus, stomach, the duodenum region of the small intestine and other digestive organs.

For many years, excess stomach acid was thought to be the cause of ulcers, but doctors now believe the key cause of most ulcers is an infection with a common bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori. Scientists believe the bacterium causes chronic inflammation of the stomach or duodenum, weakening the mucosa, and allowing acid to cause an open sore, or ulcer, in the lining. An estimated 30 percent of Americans are infected with H. pylori, and one in six will develop ulcers. Ulcer disease primarily affects older individuals, most commonly occurring between 55 and 65 years of age.

Factors that damage your sensitive mucosa and put you at risk for ulcers include:

Chronic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, that interfere with the body’s production of prostaglandins – the protective, hormone-like chemicals that keep your stomach lining healthy

Although the exact relationship between cigarette smoking and H. pylori is unclear, “smokers are about two times as likely to develop ulcer disease as nonsmokers,” advises U.S. News &

World Report

Excessive drinking of alcohol

Radiation treatment to the area

Diagnosing Your Ulcer

Your gastroenterologist may prescribe an acid-blocking medication used to treat heartburn to see if your symptoms improve. You may undergo a diagnostic upper endoscopy if your symptoms are severe.

Although ulcers sometimes heal on their own, it’s important to recognize their warning signs. If not properly treated, ulcers can lead to serious health problems, including bleeding or perforation of the organ lining, a life-threatening condition requiring emergency surgery. 35 percent of patients diagnosed with gastric ulcers will suffer serious complications.

Treating Your Ulcer

Your doctor will advise lifestyle changes that might include giving up smoking, NSAIDs and alcohol. He might prescribe medications that include:

•Antibiotics if you have H. pylori infection

•Proton pump inhibitors to reduce acid levels and allow the ulcer to heal

•Upper endoscopy to treat a bleeding ulcer

•Surgery if the ulcer has created a hole in the wall of the stomach, or if there is serious bleeding that can’t be controlled with an endoscope

In the majority of cases, a peptic ulcer will heal in time with proper treatment.

Are you concerned about a loved one’s ulcer or your own stomach pain? Revere Health’s gastroenterologists are specialists who diagnose and treat a wide variety of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, including ulcers and acid reflux. We offer compassionate, patient-centered care in multiple Utah locations and work with you to develop a treatment plan based on your individual needs and goals.

Revere Health’s experienced gastroenterology professionals offer comprehensive prevention, diagnosis and treatment of digestive disorders. We will work with you to develop a treatment plan based on your individual needs and goals.

Sources:
Web MD
U.S. News: Health

WRITTEN BY:

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This information is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. You should always consult your doctor before making decisions about your health.

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