
If not treated immediately, stomach ulcer complications can get quite bad and lead to life-threatening situations. Learn what are the different complications of stomach ulcers and the treatment that comes with it.
Stomach ulcers are small sores which occur in the stomach lining where majority of the stomach acids are present. Stomach ulcers can appear in almost any part of the digestive tract system and these sores cause extreme pain and discomfort. If not treated immediately, they can result into serious complications. Previously when medical science was not that advanced, people thought that the main reason for their occurrence is poor diet. However, the fact of the matter is that the most common cause of stomach ulcers are bacteria which attack and weaken the stomach lining.
Various Stomach Ulcer Complications
Patients with stomach ulcers generally face no problem in performing day-to-day activities, often it is also been noted that stomach ulcers heal even without medicines. However, sometimes, serious complications can arise due to stomach ulcers and it’s advisable that you opt for treatment as soon as you see any ulcer symptoms. Here are some of the most common complications.
Bleeding
A stomach ulcer starts damaging various muscles of the stomach, by doing that it can also cause a big harm to various blood vessels which pass through the stomach which results into internal bleeding. If small blood vessels get affected the damage takes little time to heal but if the big blood vessels get damaged the impact can be quite huge and internal bleeding may be much more.
There’s a higher chance that the person may become anemic due to this bleeding and the main symptoms of stomach bleeding are frequent blackouts, feeling weak and dizzy while standing or siting and coughing out blood. Another important symptom by which you can find a stomach ulcer is by observing the color of your stool. If you are suffering from internal stomach bleeding your stools appear black.
Obstruction
Obstruction or Pyloric Stenosis is a condition in which the pipe at the bottom of the abdomen which allows the food to pass to duodenum, reduces in size. This decrease in size can happen because of the damage done by the ulcers that have formed at the bottom of the stomach and duodenum. The small size causes a blockage which interferes with the smooth passing of food from the stomach in the intestine. Obstruction causes extensive abdominal pain, frequent vomiting and a constant feeling of fullness.
Perforation
Sometimes the condition of the ulcer advances and it makes a huge hole in the wall of the stomach. Through this big hole bacteria and food can spill out and enter the sterile abdominal cavity. This perforated ulcer can also cause peritonitis which means severe inflammation in the abdominal wall.
Stomach Cancer
It’s been said by many doctors that the most common cause of stomach ulcers is the presence of the bacteria called H. pylori bacterium. This bacteria is intensely toxic to the stomach and can promote the growth of cancerous cells in the stomach leading to stomach cancer. If this is not handled at the earliest, the stomach cancer may spread to different parts of the body.
Stomach Ulcer Treatment
The main goal of stomach ulcer treatment should be relief from pain and complete cure. The best way to treat stomach ulcers is the removal of the H. pylori bacterium from the body. Patients can also be treated to make sure that the amount of acid that the stomach makes is lowered down so that the injured area can be healed. It’s also important to stop smoking, drinking which can be very damaging for the intestinal tract.
There are also a variety of medications available for stomach ulcers which also help eliminate the bacteria from the stomach. Antibiotics are prescribed in such situations and various other medications, acid blockers included are given to neutralize the production of acid so that the affected area can be healed.
Stomach ulcer complications can be treated only if you choose to react on time and take care of your health. I know its hard to understand the signs of stomach ulcers but if you feel that something is wrong with your stomach since a long time, it is better to get yourself checked.