What Causes Stomach Ulcers?

What causes stomach ulcers – To ensure your safety against common diseases, you need to learn about the causes of those diseases. For example, suddenly drinking hot beverages and taking cold baths within a few minutes might cause a fever.

Today we will talk about the causes of stomach ulcers. As per the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, stomach ulcers are among the most common stomach diseases. At least 10% of the population of America is going to get stomach ulcers once in their lifetime. 

There are cures available for stomach ulcers, but you need to understand the causes so that you can detect the disease as early as possible. By learning about the causes, you can also prevent stomach ulcers. So if you are also looking for what causes stomach ulcers? Keep reading the blog. We are going to discuss everything related to that.

Causes of Stomach Ulcers

Let’s first discuss all the causes of stomach ulcers. The major reason behind stomach ulcers is acid in the digestive tract. Kindly remember that the below-given causes are not the final ones. There could be several other causes that we have not mentioned.

H. pylori

Helicobacter pylori bacteria infection is among the biggest causes of stomach ulcers. As per the data points released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Helicobacter pylori is outside up to 50% of people worldwide. 

Usually, it does not cause any trouble even though it lives in the stomach, But in some cases, the overgrowth of Helicobacter pylori can be the reason for chronic inflammation and stomach ulcers. 

Overuse of Drugs

Certain types of drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Might become the biggest cause of stomach ulcers. Aspirin, ibuprofen, And other over-the-counter pain relief medications can cause inflammation in the stomach, which can later result in stomach ulcers. 

You should be very careful while using these medications. As for one data point released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 30% of people who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs regularly might develop stomach ulcers.

At the same time, 50% of stomach ulcers are caused by the overuse of these drugs. If you are also taking the same kind of drugs, then you should consult every symptom of a stomach ulcer with your doctor.

Psychological Stress

Even though it is not common, psychological stress might also cause stomach ulcers. People struggling with stress and depression have reported back that they also have stomach ulcers at the same time.

At the same time, stress caused by severe illness, burns, and other injuries can also become the major cause of ulcers in the stomach. The psychological stress itself does not cause any ulcers in your stomach, but it can change the pH balance, which can increase the stomach acids.

Normal stomach ulcers take a few months, and they gradually develop over time, but stress stomach ulcers might develop very quickly. If you are also struggling with psychological stress along with symptoms of stomach ulcers, then you should get yourself tested for the same.

Alcohol

The next major cause of ulcers is alcoholic beverages. Similar to psychological stress, alcoholic beverages might also increase the acid levels in your stomach, which can further result in ulcers in the stomach.

In several studies, it has already been proven that alcohol can irritate and erode the mucus lining of the stomach, and it can result in increased acid levels in the stomach. If you also enjoy alcoholic beverages regularly and you are also struggling with common symptoms of ulcer during stomach ache, then you should get yourself tested for the same.

Smoking

Smoking is another major reason for stomach ulcers. It is among the most common causes of ulcers in the stomach by lifestyle choices. Even though the chances of getting stomach ulcers from smoking are very low, as compared to healthy people who aren’t making healthy choices, smoking can be a big reason.

Spicy food

The next non-common cause of stomach ulcers Is eating too much spicy food. If a person is not used to eating spicy food, then it can become the biggest cause of getting stomach cancer. Those people who are comfortable with eating spicy food might never develop an ulcer in their stomach due to eating spicy food.

Diagnosis of Ulcer in the Stomach

Before we wrap up this session, let’s take a look at the diagnosis of an ulcer in the stomach. You might be already aware of all the symptoms of a stomach ulcer, but it is not possible to diagnose it at home.

Most symptoms of stomach ulcers are associated with other diseases also which do not have any relation to stomach ulcers. You have to visit your doctor to get yourself diagnosed.

Lab Tests

As soon as you visit your doctor for a diagnosis of ulcers in the stomach, your doctor might suggest a full lab test to confirm that. Your doctor might suggest you take a blood, stool, or breath test to Diagnose an ulcer in the stomach.

You might be already aware of blood tests and stool tests, but breath tests are also very useful in these situations. Your doctor might ask you to eat or drink something which contains radioactive carbon. After a few minutes, you will be asked to blow in a bag, and later the laboratory will test the presence of carbon dioxide.

Endoscopy

Endoscopy is one of the biggest tests to diagnose ulcers in the stomach. During endoscopy, your doctor will pass it into a tube that will be equipped with a lens down to your throat. With the help of the lens, your doctor will be able to see everything happening inside your stomach.

It might give you temporary mild discomfort, but you do not have to worry about anything at all. It is a completely safe procedure, and during the procedure, your doctor might also take the sample to test for any sign of mucous damage.

Lifestyle changes to prevent and treat an ulcer in the stomach

Once you get diagnosed with an ulcer in the stomach, your doctor might suggest you do a full lifestyle change to fast the treatment process. Apart from that, it can also help you prevent ulcers in the stomach in the coming future.

First of all, you should change your pain relievers as You are already aware that certain types of pain relievers, including aspirin, can become the biggest cause of ulcers in the stomach. 

If you keep taking these types of pain relievers during your ulcer in the stomach, it can slow the healing process. Apart from that, if you are looking for lifestyle changes to prevent ulcers in the stomach, then you should consult with your doctor regarding your pain relievers.

The next thing you can do is control your stress. At first look, you might think that stress can become the cause of an ulcer in the stomach, but it can change the pH balance in the stomach. As a result, your stomach will produce more acid, and later it can become the cause of the ulcer. 

You should eat a healthy diet which will help you increase the healing process. Your doctor will suggest you include vegetables and fruit in your diet. At this same time, you can also increase the consumption of potassium and glutamine. The diet will fasten the healing process, and it can also help you prevent ulcers in the future.

Lastly, you should try to control your smoking and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Both of these things can make a huge difference when it comes to causing ulcers in the stomach. You can interfere with the proactive lining of the stomach, which can later become an easy spot for ulcers.

Takeaways

Stomach ulcers are among the most painful non-serious stomach diseases. As per the data points released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 10% of the population in the United States is going to get I’ll serve in my stomach once. 

To ensure your safety against the painful disease, you should learn about all the causes of ulcers in the stomach. There could be a huge number of causes of ulcers in the stomach, but the biggest cause is going to be the Increase in stomach acid.

Apart from that, certain types of drugs, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, And psychological stress might also become the biggest reason for ulcers in the stomach. At the same time, less common causes such as smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages also increase the chances of getting an ulcer in the stomach.