Peptic Ulcers - Highlights

Highlights

Peptic Ulcers Are Caused by an Infection

• Both patients and doctors used to think that peptic ulcers resulted from high stress and other lifestyle factors, such as diet. A 1982 discovery found that an infection in the stomach caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacterium is actually the usual culprit. This discovery meant that eradicating the bacterium could enable patients to be cured by medication instead of suffering from a chronic, often recurring painful condition. In 2006, researchers discovered that a protein in the stomach acts as a receptor for the bacteria. The discovery could lead to the development of drugs that reduce ulcer risk.

Short-course Treatment with Medications is Effective in Eliminating H. pylori Infection

• H. pylori infection can be eradicated effectively by antibiotics and a proton-pump inhibitor, typically taken for 7 to 14 days. One recent study has found that a shorter (4-day) course of treatment eliminated the infection and also caused fewer side effects.

Noninvasive Testing May Detect Ulcers

• A recent study conducted by doctors in China compared the results of evaluating patients for gastrointestinal disease with noninvasive three-dimensional CT imaging as compared to endoscopy. Three-dimensional CT imaging correctly diagnosed 50 of 52 cases, including 5 cases of peptic ulcer disease.

Review Date: 07/14/2006
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital