What are ulcers?
Ulcers are sores on the lining of the stomach,small intestine or oesophagus.Ulcers manifest in different ways.The peptic ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer and a duodenal ulcer is a peptic ulcer that develops in the first part of the small intestines.The duodenum ia an area where food is digested after passing through the stomach.
Ulcers in infant stages presents with a mild pain and people,especially the elderly,think it is old age affecting them.But in many cases,most of them are brought to us with advanced stage ulcers when they are unconscious after they have had the ulcers attack.
It’s estimated that 10% of adults globally
are affected by peptic ulcers at least once in their lifetime.
Any one can be prone to any of the
ulcers,but those who drink alcohol,smoke,eat only acidic foods such as oranges
and fatty acids are vulnerable.
Cause
Although many people think and believe that
failure to eat on time and old age are the causes of ulcers,doctors say the
bacteria known as helicobacter pylori which naturally lives in the stomach,is a
major cause of ulcers.
Other causes of ulcers are the prolonged
use of pain killers commonly known as the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
such as ibuprofen and paracetamol.It’s increasing becoming a habit for people
to take pain killers on daily basis.These medicines further destroy the
intestinal and stomach walls,worsening the ulcer situation.
Eating fatty and spicy foods,too,can cause
ulcers as they discharge more unnecessary acid in the body.Foods with spicy
content such as curry powder plus acidic fruits such as bananas,pineapples and
oranges,among others,cause ulcers.
Stress could also lead to ulcers because
when one is in that condition,the body releases many acids that may burn the
walls of the stomach,causing ulcers.
Failure to eat on time is also another
cause of ulcers because when the acids in the stomach lack what to digest,they
resort to intestinal walls,causing ulcers.
Signs and symptoms.
- A person gets a burning pain or gnawing between the breastbones to the navel as reasons to worry of the ulcers disease.
- However,such pain may not show in some people,especially the elderly,but the ulcers may manifest when one has not eaten.
- Ulcer complications
- Ulcers can be disastrous and can lead to death if not well treated.Tolerance of pain by the elderly is a problem,they report to health centers when ulcers are in advanced stages.Advanced ulcers can lead to total damage of the stomach,causing bleeding of the stomach lining,which makes the patient anaemic.This blood is released through faeces or vomiting and the situation can lead to death if not attended too.
Treatment
“If ulcers is diagonised early,it can be
treated.The treatment involves three drugs omeprazole,clarithromycin and
Amoxicillin which are taken for not less than two weeks and where this
treatment does not work,then surgery is done”says Dr Harriet Nankabirwa a
geriatrician.
SMART TIPS ON MANAGING ULCERS.
1.
Drink lots of water
Elderly people are advised to take,eat on time and the
right food.Such foods are those free from fats and spices.
2.
Avoid painkillers,take yoghurt.
Avoid frequent use of pain killers as they disturb the
stomach lining.Take yoghurt and milk as it helps sooth the wounds.
3.
Seek medical attention
