Is gastric ulcer serious?

The human stomach is actually also distributed with a layer of gastric mucosa. If you eat improperly and often eat irritating foods, it may damage the gastric mucosa and cause gastric ulcers. Gastric ulcer is a more serious problem than oral ulcer, because when gastric ulcer develops to a serious level, it will cause gastric perforation, and at this time, medical treatment is required in time. The following article will introduce readers to the seriousness of gastric ulcers.

The symptoms of gastric ulcer are often atypical and may manifest as upper abdominal pain and upper abdominal discomfort. Most people may experience various symptoms of indigestion, but some may not have any symptoms until complications occur. Its common complications include bleeding, perforation, pyloric obstruction and cancer. Common gastrointestinal and systemic symptoms include belching, acid reflux, upper abdominal distension, burning sensation behind the sternum, nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, etc. Acid regurgitation and a burning sensation behind the sternum are due to a relaxed cardia, while nausea and vomiting often reflect an ulcer and may indicate that the ulcer is in an active stage. Frequent vomiting of old food indicates pyloric obstruction. Some patients have symptoms of autonomic dysfunction such as insomnia and hyperhidrosis.

Is gastric ulcer serious?

1. Bleeding

Bleeding is caused by the ulcer eroding the blood vessels around the ulcer to a certain extent, causing the blood vessels to rupture. The amount of bleeding and the degree of harm to the patient's life depend on the size of the damaged blood vessels. When the ulcer damages the capillaries, it is generally less harmful to the patient and is not easy to be discovered. It is only discovered during the occult blood test in the stool. When larger blood vessels are damaged, vomiting blood, black stools or even bright red stools may occur. Generally, patients may experience aggravation of various gastrointestinal symptoms before bleeding, but when the bleeding stops, the upper abdominal pain will be alleviated or even disappear.

2. Perforation

Generally, ulcers damage the muscularis mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. When the ulcer continues to progress and reaches the serosal layer of the gastrointestinal tract, only the outermost layer, which is similar to a thin piece of paper, remains. Acute gastrointestinal perforation may occur at any time. After perforation, the contents of the gastrointestinal tract flow into the abdominal cavity, causing acute diffuse peritonitis. Symptoms include sudden severe upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, board-like abdomen, obvious tenderness and rebound tenderness, disappearance of liver dullness and bowel sounds, free gas under the diaphragm on abdominal radiography, and some patients even go into shock. In this case, the patient should undergo emergency surgery immediately, otherwise his life will be in danger at any time.

3. Pyloric obstruction

Ulcers of the pyloric canal can cause spasm of the pyloric sphincter and congestion and edema of the mucosal tissue around the ulcer, which can hinder the movement of food from the stomach to the duodenum and cause temporary pyloric obstruction. After the ulcer heals, persistent stenosis of the pyloric orifice may occur due to scar formation or adhesion of surrounding tissues. It is manifested as prolonged gastric emptying time, upper abdominal pain, bloating and discomfort, which worsens after meals, and is often accompanied by gastric peristaltic waves, peristaltic sounds, and gurgling sounds. In the later stage, there are no peristaltic waves but an enlarged stomach outline can be seen. There is often a lot of vomiting, and the above symptoms are alleviated or relieved after vomiting. The vomitus is often leftover food from the previous night and tastes sour and smelly.

When gastric ulcer becomes serious, it can be very scary. After looking at the above symptoms, we should all be very clear. Once the above symptoms occur, we must seek medical attention promptly. If you don't get timely treatment when you have heavy bleeding, it may be life-threatening. Therefore, pay attention to the symptoms of gastric ulcer, pay attention to its treatment, and get rid of its torture as early as possible.