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.
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.
Back in the day it was considered by physicians that excessive stress causes ulcers. The theory was based on the fact that excessive stress increases the production of hydrochloric acid. This acid is powerful enough to hurt the protective mucous lining of the stomach causing an ulcer. Although this theory is still accepted by many physicians, currently it is also established that bacterial infection is the primary cause for ulcers in more than 70 to 80% of the cases.
Gastric ulceration is most commonly caused by bacteria known as 'Helicobacter Pylori'. This bacterium has been known to dig into the mucous layer of the stomach and cause inflammation. Excessive amounts of acidic juices generated by the stomach because of spicy foods is capable of burning the lining of the digestive tract and hence damaging the digestive system. Excessive amounts of physical and emotional stress will probably aggravate an existing ulcer, although it's not considered the root 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.
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, 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.
