A bleeding stomach ulcer can cause abdominal pain, bloody stools, anemia, and even death. Smoking, alcohol, caffeine, and stress increase the risk. Treatment includes medication, avoiding NSAIDs, and possibly surgery. Endoscopy is a common technique to repair the ulcer.
An ulcer that can progress and eat away at the stomach wall can damage nearby blood vessels and become a bleeding stomach ulcer. The most common cause of this problem is when a normal ulcer goes untreated and gets worse. Patients suffering from this complication may experience progressively more debilitating symptoms, from abdominal pain to bloody stools or severe anemia. The condition is potentially dangerous and in some cases even fatal and treatment should be supervised by a doctor.
The effects of a bleeding stomach ulcer typically become more severe as the condition worsens. For some, the condition can be very painful, while in others, the bleeding can act as a barrier to stomach acid and actually reduce the pain, which can mask the severity of the problem. Patients may vomit or spit up blood or have tarry stools with blood. Ongoing internal bleeding can lead to anemia, which often makes the person feel tired and lose weight; if the blood loss is excessive, a blood transfusion may be needed. In the most extreme cases, patients can lose consciousness or even die.
Certain behaviors can put ulcer patients at increased risk of developing a bleeding ulcer. Smoking, in particular, increases the acidity in the stomach, which can cause an ulcer to get worse and also make it more difficult to heal. Alcohol and caffeine are also known to have adverse effects on an ulcer. Stress is also a risk factor.
The initial treatment for a bleeding stomach ulcer is with medication. The most commonly used drugs are known as proton pump inhibitors. They reduce the amount of acid produced which in turn helps the ulcer heal. Pain relievers can be used, although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, should be avoided, as they can make the problem worse. In cases where the ulcer was caused by the H. pylori bacteria, antibiotics may also be needed.
Sometimes surgery is needed to repair a bleeding stomach ulcer. One of the most common and successful techniques is known as endoscopy, where an endoscope is used to locate and repair the ulcer by cauterizing it. In some cases, the procedure must be repeated if the first attempt is unsuccessful. If repeated attempts don’t work, another alternative is abdominal surgery to enter and stitch the ulcer closed.
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