STOMACH ULCER: ITS CAUSES ARE NOT WHAT YOU THINK!!

 

Most Nigerians have always believed that stomach ulcer is caused by going hungry for a long period or eating spicy ("peppery") foods. But that's wrong!

Let's start with these arguments...

If ulcer is truly caused by skipping meals, don't you think about half the Nigerian population (or even more) would be ulcer patients by now? (After all, that fraction of the population skips meals either by choice or by circumstance.)

And shouldn't all fasting Muslims come down with ulcer during or just after Ramadan?

Similarly, if ulcer is truly caused by eating peppery foods, shouldn't every single Nigerian who takes such foods on a daily basis be battling ulcer by now?

Think about it.

NOW, LET'S START WITH THESE BASICS...

Your stomach is that organ in your abdomen in which the food you eat is stored and digested.

To enable the stomach play the role of digestion effectively, it produces a very strong acid (hydrochloric acid). This acid is strong enough to dissolve metals and bones.

So, you now understand why your stomach can easily digest those bone particles you swallow after ruthlessly cracking them in your mouth.

Without the stomach acid, you'd have those bone particles stuck in your stomach or possibly tearing through your intestines.

If this acid could frequently come in contact with your teeth, you'd be absolutely toothless within a few weeks! That's how strong the acid is.

Now the question is, "How come such a strong acid doesn't eat up the walls of the stomach, which comprises tissue that is far softer than metals and bones?"

Here's the answer:

The stomach wall is coated by a thick, gel-like mucus layer that protects it from direct contact with the stomach acid.

This mucus layer is constantly being renewed by various complex processes in the body.

HERE'S HOW STOMACH ULCER DEVELOPS...

When the mucus layer that lines the stomach wall is perforated, thinned out, or completely destroyed, the stomach acid will easily come in contact with the stomach wall through the defective spot(s).

The corrosive effect of the acid on the wall is what causes ulcer pain. This pain is usually felt in the chest or upper abdomen. And in severe cases, it can radiate to the back.

If treatment is not given on time, the sore/wound created by the acid continues to worsen as the acid eats deeper into the stomach wall.

The acid could continue to eat up this wall until it eventually perforates it, leading to serious bleeding and spillage of the stomach contents into the abdominal cavity. This is a medical emergency that can kill quickly without urgent intervention (which includes surgery).

So, a stomach ulcer is an open sore on the interior surface of the stomach caused by acid corrosion. 

And like any sore or wound on any other part of your body, whenever it comes in contact with a substance that irritates it (stomach acid, mostly), you'd feel the pain.

SO, WHAT'S THE EFFECT OF PEPPERY FOODS, SKIPPING MEALS, ETC.?

Any direct contact between pepper-containing food and an open sore/wound anywhere on your body would trigger serious pain at the site of the wound.

This explains why peppery foods trigger abdominal pain when they come in contact with the already existing ulcer in your stomach.

The above also explains why ulcer patients are advised to avoid acid-containing fruits such as oranges, lime, lemon, etc. Of course, such foods would only do more damage.

When you have a stomach ulcer and then skip meals or go hungry for long periods, you'll have nothing in your stomach except the acid -- unmixed acid that continues to attack the sore, triggering serious pain.

By having food in your stomach most of the time, the acid "gets busy" with the food rather than the walls of your stomach. And by mixing with the food, the acid becomes weaker, so you feel better when not hungry.

So, the reason why antacids ("anti-acids") provide quick relief of ulcer pain is that these medications contain alkaline solutions that neutralize the acid.

Once weakened by an antacid, the acid is temporarily weakened. Its harm momentarily stops. And the patient feels better for a while.

NOW, WHAT CAUSES STOMACH ULCER?

Medical research has proven that the causes of stomach ulcer are:

>> 1. Infection by a bacterium called Helicobacter Pylori.

This microorganism has been proven to be present in about 50% of the global population. In many individuals, it just lives a normal life and does no harm.

But in some individuals, it constantly attacks the mucus lining of the stomach, eating it up and creating "holes" in it. These holes allow stomach acid to come in direct contact with the stomach wall, leading to ulcer formation.

>> 2. Chronic use of NSAIDs:

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are widely used for pain relief. But when they are used continuously for long periods, they start to interfere with or even block the processes involved in the production of the protective mucus lining in the stomach.

Eventually, because this lining is no longer being renewed, it thins out, making it possible for the stomach acid to come in direct contact with the stomach wall, causing ulcer.

Due to the unfavorable long-term effect of NSAIDs, doctors usually prescribe their use for only short periods. And if they inevitably have to be used for long periods, doctors prescribe additional medications that prevent their ulcer-causing effects.

Unfortunately, NSAIDs are among the most commonly abused drugs in Nigeria. Examples include ibuprofen, diclofenac, felvin (piroxicam), etc. So, it's no surprise that ulcer is common among chronic abusers of these drugs.

** There are other causes of ulcers. But because those are rare and aren't ordinarily found in the general population, they won't be detailed here. For example, a type of stomach ulcer (Curling's ulcer) develops in patients who have just suffered serious burns.

CAN ULCER BE TREATED?

Yes!

Talk to your doctor. Ulcers are generally treated using drug combinations. The most widely adopted ones include:

1. Antibiotics that kill off H. pylori bacteria.

2. Drugs that temporarily reduce the production of stomach acid to allow for healing of the ulcer and the regeneration of the damaged mucus lining over the stomach wall.

For ulcers caused by chronic use of NSAIDs, things usually return to normal after the discontinuation of the offending drug.

CAN ULCERS REOCCUR AFTER TREATMENT?

In some cases, stomach ulcer recurs after treatment, usually due to inadequate treatment or re-exposure to causative factors.

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