You may have noticed that dull, burning pain in your stomach before. But what is it? Is it just the usual stomachache—or something more serious, like an ulcer?

Despite Theories, a Bug Often to Blame
An ulcer is a sore located in the lining of your stomach or the top of your small intestine. Over the years, people have embraced various myths that attempt to explain how ulcers form. But experts now agree that a bacterium called H. pylori causes almost 90% of ulcers.

Other causes of ulcers include:

• having a family history of ulcers
• long-term use of certain medications, especially pain relievers and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• excessive alcohol use
• smoking.

Spotting the Symptoms: A Crucial First Step
Some people with ulcers have no symptoms. But others may complain of:

• stomach pain before or after eating, or during the night
• noticeable weight loss or gain
• nausea or vomiting
• a feeling of fullness or bloating
• blood in the stool.

If you have any or all of these ulcer symptoms, be sure to let your doctor know. Left untreated, ulcers can lead to serious complications. These include bleeding, blockage of the digestive tract, or a rupture in the wall of your stomach. And researchers have found that H. pylori is a strong risk factor for stomach cancer.

Treatment Key to Comfort
If you learn that your ulcer is caused by H. pylori, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics and drugs to reduce stomach acid or protect the stomach lining.

In other cases, treatment depends on the cause of your ulcer. For example, you may need to avoid anti-inflammatory drugs and certain pain relievers or take antacids to heal your ulcer.

You also may have to change your lifestyle. For example, you may need to:

• give up smoking
• avoid alcoholic beverages, coffee, and tea
• resist eating spicy foods
• make meals smaller and more frequent.

H. pylori can spread through person-to-person contact. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before eating and after using the bathroom. This way, you’ll reduce your chances of infecting yourself—or someone else.

For answers to your burning questions about heartburn and other stomach problems, visit Western Baptist Hospital’s website at www.westernbaptist.com and click on the Health Encyclopedia icon in the upper left-hand corner. The Health Encyclopedia offers more than 11,000 pages of comprehensive, patient-friendly information on diseases, symptoms, medical tests, injuries, and other common health and medical questions.