Ulcers Questions Answered

Ulcers strike more than one million people in the United States alone and more than a billion people around the world. The problem with that calculation is that it is probably short of the amount of people that are actually affected by ulcers. Many people that have ulcers never realize they do because their symptoms mimic other ailments such as acid indigestion and heartburn. But not knowing you have an ulcer can be a danger to your health.

Knowing the signs of ulcers such as pain after eating, nausea and vomiting can help you know how to proceed. It is a real pain that can turn out to be devastating to your health if you do not take the proper steps to treat the ulcer and find out the underlying reason you may be getting ulcers. Hopefully this article can walk you through understanding the basics of an ulcer and if you find yourself with an ulcer, at least you will know something about it.

What are ulcers?

Ulcers are sores that occur on the skin or inside the body. They can be life threatening if not treated properly because of the risk of infection associated with these small sores. In the case of gastrointestinal ulcers the sore can lead to a perforation of the delicate inner lining which can cause the stomach contents to flood the interior body cavity.

Are there different types of ulcers?

Yes, there are a quite a few different types of ulcers that a person can become afflicted from and the ulcer names are generally taken from where on the body the ulcer has occurred. There are duodenal, stomach, esophagus, body and various other types of ulcers that can be caused by different things occurring to and within the human body.

How do you get an ulcer?

An ulcer occurs when the mucous and sensitive inner lining of organs is eaten away by acid. In the case of an H pylori ulcer the bacterium eats away at the mucous and then the stomach acid will begin to wear a hole in the sensitive inner lining of the gastrointestinal tract.

Where are ulcers found?

Ulcers are generally found on the skin, also known as bedsores, and found in the gastrointestinal tract. The areas in the gastrointestinal tract can be the esophagus, the duodenum, the upper portion of the small intestine and of course the stomach.

How do doctors know you have an ulcer?

Doctors can diagnose an ulcer in two ways. They can have you drink a special liquid and then x-ray your body to determine whether or not there is an ulcer present. They can also perform an endoscopic procedure where an endoscope is inserted into the gastrointestinal tract. The endoscope is a small lit camera that allows the doctor to observe the tract without surgery. If he or she finds an ulcer they will probably take a small biopsy of the area to ensure that the H pylori bacterium is not present.

What is the treatment for ulcers?

If there is H pylori present there is a three part medicine procedure. One of the medicines will be an antibiotic, one will be a proton pump inhibitor and the other will help heal the ulcer. If the ulcer is not dangerous and the doctor thinks that regular antacids will allow the acid to reduce in the stomach, he or she will have the patient take special antacids to reduce the acid so it will not be in contact with the sore.

What is Lavendering?

Lavendering is a manual classification of diagnosing skin ulcers. There are six stages that the skin ulcer can go through. Stage 1 is the skin appears red. Stage 2 is the redness, swelling and possibly blistering of the skin. Stage 3 is the actual sore that forms. Stage 4 is a continuation of the necrosis of the sore where the sore goes deeper and may widen. Stage 5 is an advanced state of Stage 4 and may be down to the bone at this point. Stage 6 is where the sore has reached the bone and the bone is beginning to be worn away.

What is Wagner's classification?

Wagner's classification is a scoring system to determine in small stages how far the diabetic ulcer has progressed. The scores range from 0 to5 and have sub stages marking the different progressions the ulcer will take. It starts with clear skin and eventually makes its way to gangrene.

Does stress give you an ulcer?

No, stress cannot give you an ulcer. It was a common belief for many years that stress was the primary cause of an ulcer. This is not true. But, stress can exacerbate the problem by causing more stomach acid to be present. It is the digestive fluids that irritate and eat through the protective inner lining once the ulcer has penetrated the mucous shield.

What about spicy foods?

Just like stress, spicy foods were once blamed for ulcers. And just like stress this is not true but spicy foods can cause irritation and exacerbation of the symptoms. Doctors recommend trying to lower your stress and avoid any foods that may cause a flare up of your ulcer. The goal is to heal your body, not make it worse. A further note: if you smoke you must stop. Smoking can exacerbate the problems and symptoms of an ulcer even more. Plus we all know that smoking is very bad for you for a variety of other reasons.

Can an ulcer lead to worse things?

Oh, yes ulcers can lead to some very bad things. The absolute worst case for a gastrointestinal ulcer is perforation. Perforation occurs when the ulcer eats through the lining of the tract and the inner contents spill into the body cavity. This leads to rampant infection throughout the abdomen. Leg ulcers can become infected and lead to gangrene. Gangrene is an infection that occurs when the area around a sore has died and can lead to amputation.

Technorati Tags: Ulcer, Ulcers Questions Answered

© Copyright 2008-2008 ulcers.trustprofitableniche.com. All rights reserved. Disclaimer