What happens if stomach ulcers go untreated

If this isn't possible, call NHS or your local out-of-hours service. Peritonitis is a medical emergency that requires hospital admission. In some cases, surgery may be needed.

In some cases, an inflamed swollen or scarred stomach ulcer can obstruct the normal passage of food through your digestive system. This is known as gastric outlet obstruction. An endoscopy can be used to confirm the obstruction. If the obstruction is caused by inflammation, proton pump inhibitors PPIs or H2-receptor antagonists can be used to reduce stomach acid levels until the swelling goes down.

Collect a tissue sample biopsy that can be tested for H. This is especially true if you have: Ulcer symptoms for the first time. Ulcer symptoms that return before or after treatment is completed. A family history of stomach cancer. Other symptoms that may point to a more serious problem, such as stomach cancer. These include: Blood in the stool. Difficulty swallowing dysphagia. Abdominal mass. This test may be done to detect blood in the stool, which may be caused by a peptic ulcer or another serious problem, such as colon cancer.

By itself, an FOBT cannot diagnose peptic ulcer disease, but it may show if an ulcer is bleeding. Complete blood count CBC. This blood test may be done to look for anemia, which may be caused by a bleeding ulcer. Upper GI series. This X-ray exam of the esophagus and stomach may be used to diagnose peptic ulcer disease, although this test is being used less frequently.

Treatment Overview Left untreated, many ulcers eventually heal. Most of the time, treatment means taking medicines—such as H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors PPIs —and making lifestyle changes, including: Not taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , if possible.

Quitting smoking. Not drinking too much alcohol no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. Treatment if ulcers get worse If you have serious complications from a peptic ulcer, such as bleeding or obstruction, you may need an endoscopy , even if you have already had one. Prevention You can greatly reduce the chance that you will get a peptic ulcer if you: Don't smoke.

Smokers are much more likely than nonsmokers to get ulcers. For ways to quit smoking, see the topic Quitting Smoking. Avoid taking aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs for longer than a few days at a time. If you are taking one of these medicines daily, for example taking aspirin for heart problems, ask your doctor about taking medicine to help protect your stomach and intestines from ulcers. Drink alcohol only in moderation.

Limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. Home Treatment Many people who have mild ulcer symptoms first try home treatment for a short time without seeing a doctor. Try these home treatment steps to stop symptoms and help an ulcer heal: Stop smoking. Try nonprescription medicines that reduce stomach acid. Make sure you tell your doctor about any medicines you are taking. Make changes to your diet, such as eating smaller, more frequent meals.

These changes may improve your symptoms, but they won't help your ulcer heal. Drink alcohol only in moderation, or not at all. Drinking too much alcohol may make an ulcer heal more slowly and may make your symptoms worse. Medications Medicines are used to: Treat peptic ulcers by reducing the amount of acid produced by the stomach. Kill Helicobacter pylori H. Protect the lining of the stomach and upper small intestine from injury caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs.

Medicine choices Medicines to reduce stomach acid Medicines that reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach are used to treat all forms of peptic ulcer disease. Antacids such as Tums Acid reducers H2 blockers such as Pepcid.

Some H2 blockers are available without a prescription. Proton pump inhibitors PPIs such as Prilosec. Some PPIs are available without a prescription. Medicines to kill H. Medicines to protect the stomach Medicines used to protect the stomach from damage caused by frequent use of aspirin or other NSAIDs include: Acid reducers. These include: H2 blockers such as Tagamet. Prostaglandin analogs such as Cytotec.

Surgery Surgery is rare, but it is needed sometimes to treat: Ulcers that don't heal intractable peptic ulcers. Life-threatening complications of an ulcer , such as severe bleeding, perforation, or obstruction. If surgery is suggested, you may want to: Seek a second opinion and ask whether all medicine treatment options have been tried. Compare the cost of long-term medicine treatment to the one-time cost of surgery. Remember that no surgery can completely prevent ulcers from returning.

Find a surgeon who has a lot of experience with surgery for ulcers. Surgery choices When surgery is done, it usually involves one or more of the following: Cutting one or more of the nerves to the stomach vagotomy. Widening the opening of the bottom of the stomach pyloroplasty. The H. Treatment for stomach ulcers includes the use of antibiotics to kill the infection, and acid-suppressing drugs.

The stomach is an organ of the digestive system, located in the abdomen just below the ribs and on the left. Swallowed food is squeezed down the oesophagus and pushed through a sphincter small muscle ring into the stomach, where it is mixed with powerful gastric juices containing enzymes and hydrochloric acid.

The stomach is a muscular bag, so it can churn the food and break it down mechanically as well as chemically. Once the food is the consistency of smooth paste, it is squeezed through a second sphincter into the first part of the small intestine duodenum.

The lining of the stomach — the mucosa or gastric epithelium — is layered with multiple folds. Ulcers occur in this lining. The Helicobacter pylori bacterium H. The discovery of this micro-organism in revolutionised many aspects of gastroenterology, including the treatment of stomach ulcers. It is thought that about one in three people over the age of 40 years is infected with this strain of bacteria in Australia.

The germs live in the lining of the stomach and the chemicals they produce cause irritation and inflammation. Other disorders caused by this infection include inflammation of the stomach gastritis and dyspepsia indigestion. Researchers believe the germ could also play a contributing role in the development of stomach cancers. The infection is more common among poor or institutionalised people. The mode of transmission is so far unknown, but is thought to include sharing food or utensils, coming into contact with infected vomit, and sharing of water such as well water in undeveloped populations.

This is a serious complication of ulcer disease and is particularly deadly in the elderly or those with multiple medical problems. Bleeding from stomach ulcers is more common in people treated with blood thinning agents, such as warfarin, aspirin or clopidogrel Plavix and those people should also consider using regular anti-ulcer medication to prevent this complication. A severe, untreated ulcer can sometimes burn through the wall of the stomach, allowing digestive juices and food to leak into the abdominal cavity.

This medical emergency is known as a perforated ulcer. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Ulcers Open pop-up dialog box Close. Ulcers A peptic ulcer is a sore on the lining of your stomach, small intestine or esophagus. Email address. First Name let us know your preferred name. Last Name. Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Kellerman RD, et al. Gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. In: Conn's Current Therapy Elsevier; Accessed July 8, Peptic ulcer disease. American College of Gastroenterology. Peptic ulcers stomach ulcers. Feldman M, et al. Saunders Elsevier; Nehra AK, et al. Proton pump inhibitors: Review of emerging concerns.