September 2004
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Relax! Stress won't cause stomach ulcers
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Think rush hour traffic or grueling deadlines cause stomach ulcers? Think again.
"Stress won't cause stomach ulcers, but it can make them worse," says David Graham, MD, professor of medicine and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "Stress causes the body to produce higher amounts of acid, which can irritate preexisting ulcers."
According to Graham, a stomach ulcer is like a scraped knee -- if left
alone, it will heal naturally. However, increased acid secretion caused
by stress interrupts the healing process.
So if stress doesn't cause stomach ulcers, what does?
"Helicobacter pylori infection is the primary cause of stomach ulcers," says Graham, also chief of gastroenterology at BCM, and chief of the digestive diseases section at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "These bacteria penetrate the stomach lining, eventually causing an ulcer."
Although Helicobacter pylori infection is highly transmissible, it is
not spread through kissing or sexual contact. Crowded living conditions,
in areas of poor sanitation, provoke transmission.
Fortunately, the bacterial infection can be treated with antibiotics.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin can also cause stomach
ulcers. The anti-inflammatory agents in these drugs hinder the stomach's
defense against powerful stomach acid.
Terminating the use of these drugs and taking antacids to control acid secretion will allow ulcers to heal.
"Improved sanitation has decreased the transmission of H. pylori
-induced stomach ulcers," says Graham. "However, the quantity
and duration of NSAIDs consumption still place people at risk."
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