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Do Ulcers Cause back Pain?

By: Zoe Beartoes

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 various symptoms of ulcers. Most common symptoms are intermittent and irritating pain in the stomach which could transmit to other areas like back or shoulder blades, indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating, appetite loss and nausea.

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.

Bacteria 'Helicobacter Pylori' is the most common bacteria known to cause gastric ulceration. These bacteria can burrow into the mucous layer of stomach and produce inflammation. Excessive acidic juices generated by stomach due to spicy foods are capable of burning the lining of digestive tract and thereby damaging the digestive system. Extreme physical and emotional stress is likely to aggravate an existing ulcer, though it is normally not considered as a root cause for 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 ulcer diagnosis, any physician would inquire about the symptoms. Besides the symptoms, the physician would look for factors from a patient's such as any cases of family history of ulcers or stomach cancers, frequency of alcohol consumption, smoking habits, patient's age, recent weight loss, repeated nausea or vomiting incidences, back pain, history of using anti-inflammatory drugs or other NSAIDs. Apart from the symptoms and patient's history, endoscopy is a modern approach to minimally invasive diagnostic medical procedure. Endoscopy is also well accepted as one of the best methods of diagnosing ulcers. An endoscope is a narrow tube which contains a light and tiny camera at its end to study the patient's digestive system. When this tube is inserted down the patient's throat the physician can examine the interior walls of the stomach and duodenum. Endoscope can also carry a small scissor to cut off small sample of mucous membrane for further examination of potential stomach cancer.

Imaging techniques are frequently relied on since not many patients are comfortable with the endoscope. During the procedure the patient is asked to drink a fluid of Barium. Barium is opaque and transparent to x-rays. The x-ray image of the patient's digestive system can highlight abnormalities such as ulcers that may be present where the opaque substance appears as a white patch on the x-ray image. Many symptoms of ulcers can be treated with drugs easily purchased over the counter that are used to subdue the pain, nausea or general discomfort caused by ulcers.

Do ulcers cause back pain? Yes, ucers and especially peptic ulcers do cause severe back pain. Such pain is likely to happen immediately after eating when someone is suffering from ulcers.

Article Source: http://www.articlemanual.com

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