How to Prevent a Peptic Ulcer

A proper lifestyle may reduce the symptoms of a peptic ulcer, so we should keep ourselves away from spicy foods, coffee and alcohol, smoking, taking NSAIDs and paracetamol, lose excess weight if overweight.A certain medication will be prescribe by your doctor, in order to reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach.There are two kinds of medicine available to do this.One are so called H2-antagonists for example the ranitidine (Zantac) and cimetidine (Tagamet).The other known as proton pump inhibitors seems to be more powerfuly in reducing the production of stomach acid. These are omeprazole (Losec) and lansoprazole (Zoton).

If a person is found positive with H. pylori, she will need some prescribed tablets to get rid of it. In most cases the treatment is a combination of three drugs: a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics, taken daily for one week.The existence of persistent ulcer symptoms even after a test where H.pylori has not been found leads to further tests, such as gastroscopy or barium swallow.

There are also severe cases when the peptic ulcer causes serious problems, especially the perforation of the stomach or duodenum. A severe pain is caused and needs emergency treatment. A well known complication is the bleeding of the ulcer. In this case appear the following symptoms:vomiting fresh, red blood, or vomit containing dark brown bits of older blood; blood which is usually dark red in the faeces and black,tarry faeces.

An anemia can be caused by a slowly bleeding ulcer, where the red cells can be found in a small number, so are unable to transport oxygen around the body. The narrowing in the duodenum sometimes let scars produced by healed ulcers.

Actualy surgery is very rarely needed for the peptic ulcers.Severe complications may appear such as bleeding from the ulcer or perforation of the duodenal or stomach lining, which maybe resolvable by a certain surgery.The development of the peritonitis needs an emergency hospital treatment. Through a gastroscope certain operations in treating a bleeding ulcer is required, but a sedative can be given.

To avoid surgery and to protect ourselves from the appearance of a peptic ulcer we should pay attention to what kind of food we weat and also to have a proper lifestyle.