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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What causes stomach ulcers?

    Related Topic
    Gastritis & Stomach Ulcers
    • 1 answer
    • Mr Dean Spilias
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    Mr Dean Spilias

    Upper GI Surgeon (Abdominal)

    Dean graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1997 and went on to surgical training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. During his residency he had … View Profile

    The commonest causes of stomach and duodenal ulcers are

    1. A bacterium (bug) called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
    2. Anti-inflammatory painkiller medications - eg. mobic/meloxicam, ketorolac/toradol,  ibuprofen/brufen, naprosyn/naproxen, voltaren, aspirin and similar drugs. 
    Other contributors to ulcers include smoking, and some other medications (prednisolone, steroids; alendronate/fosamax). Rarely, ulcers can be due to stomach cancers, previous stomach surgery, hormone-producing tumours (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome) or other medical conditions. 

    The H. pylori bacterium is common, often causes no early symptoms, and usually is only discovered if someone has a gastroscopy (telescope examination of the stomach). It is usually treated with medications and a follow-up “breath test” to make sure it has been eradicated. 

    Ulcers related to medications usually occur after longer use, but occasionally can occur with very short treatment courses.

    Dean Spilias
    http://www.uppergi.net 

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