Gastric ulcer is a wound located on the wall of the stomach, whose main symptom is a pain in burning. If the lesion is in the duodenum (the initial portion of the small intestine), it is called duodenal ulcer. The ulcer may also reach the esophagus (part of the digestive tract before the stomach).
An ulcer is the result of gastric acid damage to the stomach wall, as the acidity of stomach acid destroys the mucosal lining of the internal wall of the organ.
Most gastric ulcers are no more than 2 cm in diameter, although they can cause significant pain and discomfort. One of the main causes is the use of anti-inflammatory, being more common in people over 60 and women.
The most common gastric ulcer symptoms are abdominal pain in the form of burning. In general, pain arises a few hours after meals in the "pit of the stomach." If the stomach is empty, the pains can be more intense and occur at night. In these cases, it is possible to relieve pain by eating and taking antacids.
People with stomach ulcers also report other symptoms such as poor digestion, feeling of not eating, pain when eating, nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite and weight loss.
When the ulcer develops to the point of perforating the wall of the stomach, which occurs in the most severe cases, the pains are very strong, the abdomen becomes rigid and the person loses blood by feces or the vomiting. These signs and symptoms are indicative of a medical emergency and the patient urgently needs to be taken to a hospital.
The gastroenterologist is the specialist responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric ulcer.
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