Articles
Newsletter
Home 
Business Management Ulcers Can Cause back Pain
Business Management Ulcers Can Cause back Pain
| Ulcers Can Cause back Pain |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Zoe Beartoes |
| Thursday, 31 July 2008 09:22 |
|
In case of repeated back pain an anxiety gets instituted in one's mind as to "Do Ulcers Cause back Pain?" A simple answer to this anxiety is 'yes', peptic ulcers could be a probable cause for back pain. Before discussing further, it is better to understand the basics of ulcers. An open sore, lesion or break in the skin or in a mucous membrane is called an ulcer. The thin protective layer that covers / protects the inner surface of body openings like the lining of the stomach and intestines is a mucous membrane. However when people generally use the term 'ulcers', they usually mean the peptic ulcer (the one that occurs in the upper digestive system). The digestive system is made up of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum and intestines. Ulcers that occur in the stomach are referred to as gastric ulcers, and likewise there are duodenal ulcers and esophageal ulcers. 80% of peptic ulcers are duodenal ulcers. There are many symptoms of ulcers. The most common sign of ulcers is an intermittent and irritating pain in the stomach this pain also transfers to other areas such as the shoulder blades, back, indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating, appetite loss and nausea. A few well known symptoms of ulcers are back pain, headache, itching and choking sensation. In the olden days it was generally believed by physicians that too much stress causes ulcers. The classic theory was based on the fact that high amount of stress can increase hydrochloric acid production. This acid is strong enough to hurt protective mucous lining of stomach and as a result causing an ulcer. Though this theory is still accepted by many physicians, but nowadays it has also been well established that bacterial infection is the prime cause of ulcers in more than 70 to 80 % patients. Gastric ulceration is most commonly caused by bacteria known as 'Helicobacter Pylori'. It digs into the mucous layer of the stomach causing inflammation. Spicy foods stimulate the stomach to generate excessive amounts of acidic juices which is capable of burning the lining of the digestive tract and hence damaging the digestive system. Excessive amounts of either physical or emotional stress will aggravate an existing ulcer, although it's not the rood cause of ulcer. Besides infection, use of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs which is the acronym can also trigger ulcers. These NSAIDs are rampantly used by people as pain killers for headaches, sore muscles, menstrual cramps and other similar complaints. Aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen belong to this family of NSAIDs and excessive use of such drugs may prove to be detrimental to stomach lining and cause ulcers. Over consumption of Alcoholic beverages and heavy smoking habits could pose a risk of damaging the mucosal protection. As a first step towards a diagnosis of ulcers, the doctor first inquires as to the symptoms the patient is having. Besides these symptoms, The physician would look over the patient's medical history for a family history of ulcers or stomach cancers, frequent alcohol consumption, smoking, patients age, weight loss, repeated nausea or vomiting are also taken into consideration. Also incidences of back pain, history of using anti inflammatory drugs or other NSAIDS are looked into. Apart from looking into the symptoms and medical history, endoscopy is the latest method by which a minimal invasive diagnostic medical procedure. It is also accepted as the best diagnostic methods for ulcers. An endoscope is a narrow tube with a light and tiny camera at its end used to study the patient's digestive system. When it's inserted down the patient's throat the doctor can start to examine the stomach lining and duodenum. An endoscope can also carry scissors in to take tissue samples of the mucous membrane for further examination of potential stomach cancer. Patients are not very comfortable with Endoscopy, so imaging techniques are frequently relied on. First the patient is asked to drink down a fluid containing Barium. Barium is a substance / chemical which is opaque and transparent to x-rays. The x-ray image of the patient's digestive can show abnormalities such as ulcers that may be present where the opaque substance appears as a white patch on the X-ray image. Most ulcer symptoms can be treated with over the counter drugs which can subdue the pain, nausea or general discomfort caused by ulcers. Ulcers and especially Peptic Ulcers do cause severe back pain. Such pain is likely to happen immediately after eating when some one is suffering from ulcers. About the Author: Say goodbye to your troubles of thoracic back pain. Get your FREE ebook on how to relieve your back pain today! Also discover information on burning pain in upper back muscles. Kindly provided by LJ-Marketing.dk You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include the link just before this text. |
Stumble It!
Members : 1254
Content : 2297
Web Links : 1
Content View Hits : 309094
Content : 2297
Web Links : 1
Content View Hits : 309094