Peptic ulcers

Need to know

• Symptoms of peptic ulcers icon plus

  Symptoms can vary depending on the severity of your condition, but may include:

  • a burning or persistent pain that develops in your stomach (abdomen)
  • bleeding from the ulcer that results in blood in your stools
  • pain that travels from your stomach up to your neck or through to your back
  • indigestion and/or heartburn
  • reduced appetite or loss of appetite
  • feeling and/or being sick
  • burping or feeling bloated after eating certain foods
  • over time, weight loss

• Diagnosis icon plus

  The only secure way to diagnose or exclude an ulcer is by gastroscopy. This is a procedure where a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) is used to look inside your food pipe (oesophagus), stomach and the first part of your small intestine. If gastroscopy is not possible your consultant may request a barium meal X-ray to detect an ulcer, but this cannot sample the gut to check for a helicobacter pylori infection (type of bacteria) or stem any bleeding.

• Potential stomach ulcers treatment options icon plus

  Treatment will depend on the cause of the ulcer. A helicobacter pylori infection is treated with a combination of antibiotics and an acid suppressing drug. You'll need to come back six weeks after treatment to confirm its success with either a stool test, breath test or another gastroscopy. If the ulcer is related to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), they should be stopped. If this is not an option, taking a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) can give protection against ulcers. Surgery is rarely required. Oesophageal ulcers associated with severe reflux may sometimes require treatment with a surgical anti-reflux procedure.