Treatment Regimens for H. Pylori: Peptic Ulcer
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Treatment Regimens for H. Pylori: Peptic Ulcer
If you have an ulcer, you should be tested for H. pylori and if it's infected, you should be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics are the new cure for ulcers; therapy is 1-2 weeks of one or two antibiotics and a medicine that will reduce the acid in the stomach. This treatment is a dramatic medical advance because eliminating H. pylori with antibiotics means that there is a greater than 90 percent chance that the ulcer can be cured for good.
In most cases, anti-ulcer medicines heal ulcers quickly and effectively. Eradication of H. pylori prevents most ulcers from recurring. However, people who do not respond to medication or who develop complications may require surgery. While surgery is usually successful in healing ulcers and preventing their recurrence and future complications, problems can sometimes result.
Emergency Symptoms
If you have any of these symptoms, call your doctor right away:
- Sharp, sudden, persistent stomach pain;
- Bloody or black stools;
- Bloody vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
They could be signs of a serious problem, such as:
Bleeding From A Peptic Ulcer
As an ulcer eats into the muscles of the stomach or duodenal wall, blood vessels may also be damaged, which causes bleeding. If the affected blood vessels are small, the blood may slowly seep into the digestive tract. Over a long period of time, a person may become anemic and feel weak, dizzy or tired. If a damaged blood vessel is large, bleeding is dangerous and requires prompt medical attention. Symptoms include feeling weak and dizzy while standing up, vomiting blood or fainting. The stools may become a tarry black color from the blood. Most bleeding ulcers can be treated endoscopically -- the ulcer is located and the blood vessel is cauterized with a heating device or injected with material to stop bleeding. If endoscopic treatment is unsuccessful, surgery may be required.
Perforation Of Peptic Ulcer
Sometimes an ulcer eats a hole in the wall of the stomach or duodenum. Bacteria and partially digested food can spill through the opening into the sterile abdominal cavity (peritoneum). This causes peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal cavity and wall. A perforated ulcer that can cause sudden, sharp, severe pain usually requires immediate hospitalization and surgery.
Narrowing and obstruction Of Peptic Ulcer
Ulcers located at the end of the stomach where the duodenum is attached, can cause swelling and scarring, which can narrow or even close the intestinal opening. This obstruction can prevent food from leaving the stomach and entering the small intestine. As a result, a person may vomit the contents of the stomach. Endoscopic balloon dilation, a procedure that uses a balloon to force open a narrow passage, may be performed. If the dilation does not relieve the problem, then surgery may be necessary.
Although ulcers may cause discomfort, rarely are they life threatening. With an understanding of the cause and proper treatment, most people find relief. Eradication of H. pylori infection is a major medical advance that can permanently cure most peptic ulcer disease.
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