Treatment of Peptic Ulcers

Once diagnosis is reached it is half the battle won. Treatment of duodenal (small intestine) ulcer is simple and includes anti bacterial and ulcer healing medicines. It is important to realize that strict diet restrictions are no longer necessary with modern medicines. However all analgesic medication and cigarette smoking must be stopped. Once treatment is complete only 5 % people will have a recurrence, rest of them will be cured. Stomach ulcers must be biopsied at the time of endoscopy to rule out cancer that presents in a similar way. These ulcers take at least 6 weeks to heal and healing must be confirmed by a repeat endoscopy. Non healing stomach ulcer may require surgery. Duodenal ulcers heal by medicines only and surgery is required only for complications like bleeding, intestinal obstruction or perforation. "Once an ulcer always an ulcer" an old dictum is no longer true and if early diagnosis is made they can be cured.