In cases of chronic back pain one might think, "Do Ulcers Cause back
Pain?" A simple answer to this anxious question is 'yes', a peptic ulcer
is a probable cause of back pain.
What is an ulcer? An ulcer is a specific term that signifies any open
sore, lesion or break in the skin or in a mucous membrane. A thin tissue
that lines the inner surface of body openings such as a lining of the
stomach and intestines is a mucous membrane. However as a generalized
concept or as a most commonly referred to concept, people speak of
ulcers that occur in the upper digestive system such as peptic ulcers.
The digestive system comprises of esophagus, stomach, duodenum and
intestines. Ulcers in the stomach are called gastric ulcers, and
likewise there are duodenal ulcers and esophageal ulcers. Duodenal
ulcers account for 80% cases of peptic 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.
A few years back it was widely considered by physicians that lots of
excessive stress was a major cause of ulcers in people. Their theory was
that lots of stress increases the production of hydrochloric acid in
the body. This acid is strong enough to eat away the proactive mucous
lining of the stomach causing an ulcer. Although still widely accepted
by many, there is a newer theory that bacterial infection is responsible
for ulcers in more that 70 to 80% of the cases.
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.
Apart form the infection, use of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
or
NSAIDs can also trigger ulcers.
NSAIDs are commonly used by people as
pain killers for headaches, sore muscles, menstrual cramps and other
similar situations. Belonging to this family of
NSAIDs is aspirin,
ibuprofen and acetaminophen, excessive use of such type of drugs may
prove to be detrimental to the stomach lining and cause ulcers. Mucosal
protection is further damaged by over consumption of Alcoholic beverages
and heavy smoking.
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 not as reliable as endoscopy but are also used
frequently as patients are becoming more comfortable with this
technique. Using the imaging technique, the patient is made to drink a
fluid containing barium. Barium is a substance which is opaque and
transparent to x-rays. An x-ray image of the patient's digestive system
can show any abnormalities like ulcers that may be present wherein the
opaque substance appears as a white patch on the x-ray image. Most of
the symptoms of ulcers can be treated with over the counters medications
which can relieve the pain, nausea or other general discomfort created
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.