What Are Stomach Ulcers?
What are stomach ulcers?
Hi, I'm Dr. William Chung, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist based in Melbourne, Australia.
A stomach ulcer or a gastric ulcer is a break in the lining of the stomach. Many of my patients with this condition present with symptoms including nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, bleeding or sometimes no symptoms at all.
Causes of this condition includes infections such as H. pylori or helicobacter pylori, medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs and these cause inflammation of the stomach lining and loss of the protective mucus lining of the stomach.
This can sometimes lead to quite severe pain, bleeding and rarely requiring surgery.
Really, a stomach ulcer requires a gastroscopy or a camera for diagnosis.
Treatment includes acid-suppressing medications as well as antibiotics in the setting of H. pylori infections.
Additional videos on a range of common conditions are available to view on the Gastroenterology Specialist Care YouTube channel.
Note, this video is not a medical consultation. Any medical information is general in nature and is not intended to provide individual clinical advice. You should contact your doctor or other healthcare professional in relation to any concerns they may have, as your own circumstances may be different.
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