What is Peptic Ulcer?

The damage of your stomach or of the part of your digestive system which is nest after the stomach, the duodenum is called a peptic ulcer. This particular type of ulcer can have indigestion as a symptom. Another way to detect an ulcer is severe pain in the stomach area. Peptic ulcer is not a life threatening condition and with proper medication ulcer can be cured. However, if peptic ulcer is left untreated it can lead to serious complications.

The ulcer that one has in his/ her stomach is called, in medical terms gastric ulcer and if it is in your duodenum it is also known as duodenal ulcer. The peptic ulcer that we are talking about means that you only have patches that are one or two centimeters in diameter. This ulcer can be viewed by your doctor with the help of a gastroscope. Almost one out of ten people, esspecialy the young, can are affected by duodenal ulcer. Men are more at risk to develop this type of ulcer than women. The gastric ulcer is a less common type of ulcer and it usually affects the middle age people. Elderly people are also the most common target of the stomach ulcer.

Like almost all illnesses, the peptic ulcer can be of two kinds: acute or chronic ulcer. In acute ulcer the symptoms appear quickly, but they improve the same way. The chronic ulcer can last for a long time. There are cases when acute ulcers can take place at the same time, thus no symptoms may appear. If treated, acute ulcers heals very quickly and has no consequences. On the other hand, the chronic ulcer causes symptoms and heals in more time. Chronic ulcer also leaves scars after it has healed.

Peptic ulcer is the result of a problem in your stomach. Either the acid that the digestive system produces is in bigger quantities than normal, or the mucus that protects you from the acid is insufficient. There are many factors that can result in a peptic ulcer risk. Some of them are:
- infection with a bacteria- this condition is found in many people that suffer from ulcer;
- using certain drugs, like aspirin on a regular basis is another risk factor of ulcer;
- smoking is highly related with ulcer;
- drinking alcohol in large quantities;

Peptic ulcer does not cause symptoms in many people, but there are cases when somebody can feel pain in the abdomen area because of an ulcer.

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