Ulcer symptoms - What are they?
The word "ulcer" originated from a french word "ulcere", which inturn came from a Latin word, "ulcus, ulceris" meaning a painful depression, a painful spot or a sore. Ulcers are generally small sores which have a crater like appearance and are usually 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch in diameter. These sores (ulcers) can grow upto 1-2 inch in size, depending upon the medical condition of the patient.
A common example of such sores is a gastric ulcer. A gastric ulcer usually appears as a erosion of tissue right at the lining of the gastro intestine. Due to a erosion, the shape of a ulcer is usually concave and is always depressed at a level of the surrounding tissues. An ulcer in the stomach region is referred to as a peptic ulcer.
Ulcers are usually visible on the skin due to a condition of irritation where they might get infected and inflammed as they gradually grow in size. A common problem of physical stress, intake of higher quantities of caffeine or chain smoking can exaggerate these sores. However, emotional stress is no longer considered as a cause of ulcers.
The process of digestion involves crushing and mixing of the chewed particles in the presence of some "digestive juices", including the hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin. If by any means the lining of the inner stomach is eroded, this continuous process of digestion will act on the erosion as it does for breaking the "digestive particle", this imbalance of the powerful forces against the anti-bodies erodes the tissue in a concave shape. If the ulcers are left undiagnosed, they can lead to an internal bleeding and thus seep more blood into the digestive tract or, they can obstruct the food to enter the small intestine.
Digestive juices such as hydrochloric acid and pepsin are released during the process of digestion, these juices are consider harmful for the inner lining of the stomach. To protect the lining from these juices, our stomach creates a mucus coating by producing bicarbonates and by circulating blood to the inner layer. If by any means, this natural being gets impaired, Ulcer erodes. In general medical terms, a bacteria also know as the Helicobacter Pylori (a spiral shaped liked bacteria usually found in our stomach) weakens the entire defense mechanism and neutralizes the mucus coating, making it more prone to the damaging effects of hydrochloric acids and pepsin.
Other factors, including the use of asprin, ibuprofen or piroxicam usually hamper the digestive capability of the stomach to produce more mucus and bicarbonates. The lower level of mucus thus makes the inner lining more prone to these acids (hydrochloric and pepsin). A common lifestyle problem of physical stress, intake of higher quantities of caffeine or chain smoking can exaggerate an ulcer.
What exactly are ulcer symptoms ?
A patient suffering from an ulcer might not or might experience the following symptoms:
- Blood in vomit or stool, a blood spot in a stool or a vomit might be a sign of a bleeding ulcer
- Tiredness, Weakness (usually due to a bleeding in the abdomen area)
- Loss of weight or a loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- An irritation or a sensation of burning, usually in the abdomen area or near the navel point. The pain increases at times after the meal or in the midnight or whenever the stomach is empty
- Nausea
- A sore crater like appearance and are usually 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch or more in diameter