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A stomach ulcer is usually caused by an infection with a bacterium (germ) called H. pylori. A 4-8-week course of acid-suppressing medication will allow the ulcer to heal. In addition, a oneweek course of two antibiotics plus an acid-suppressing drug will usually clear the H. pylori infection. This usually prevents the ulcer from recurring again. Anti-inflammatory drugs, used to treat conditions such as arthritis, sometimes cause stomach ulcers. If you need to continue with the anti-inflammatory drug, then you may need to take long-term acid-suppressing medication.
A stomach ulcer is one type of peptic ulcer. A stomach ulcer is sometimes called a gastric ulcer. (The most common type of peptic ulcer is a duodenal ulcer.) The rest of this leaflet deals only with stomach ulcers. See separate leaflets called 'Duodenal Ulcer', and 'Acid Reflux and Oesophagitis'.
Surgery
In the past, surgery was commonly needed to treat a stomach ulcer. This was before it was discovered that H. pylori was the cause of most stomach ulcers, and before modern acid-suppressing medicines became available. Surgery is now usually only needed if a complication of a stomach ulcer develops, such as severe bleeding or a perforation.
After treatment
A repeat endoscopy is usually advised a few weeks after treatment has finished. This is mainly to check that the ulcer has healed, and also to be doubly certain that the 'ulcer' was not due to stomach cancer. If your ulcer was caused by H. pylori then a test to check that H. pylori has gone is usually advised. This is done at least four weeks after the course of combination therapy has finished. In most cases, the test is 'negative' meaning that the infection has gone. If it has not gone, then a repeat course of combination therapy with a different set of antibiotics may be advised.
Duodenal Ulcer
A duodenal ulcer is usually caused by an infection with a bacterium (germ) called H. pylori. A 4-8 week course of acid-suppressing medication will allow the ulcer to heal. In addition, a oneweek course of two antibiotics plus an acid-suppressing medicine will usually clear the H. pylori infection. This usually prevents the ulcer from coming back. Anti-inflammatory medicines used to treat conditions such as arthritis sometimes cause duodenal ulcers. If you need to continue with the anti-inflammatory medicine, then you may need to take long term acid-suppressing medication.
A test to detect the H. pylori bacterium is usually done if you have a duodenal ulcer. IfH. pylori is found then it is likely to be the cause of the ulcer. See separate leaflet calledHelicobacter Pylori and Stomach Pain for more detail and how it can be diagnosed. Briefly, it can be detected in a sample of faeces (bowel motions), or in a breath test, or from a blood test, or from a biopsy sample taken during an endoscopy.
Surgery
In the past, surgery was commonly needed to treat a duodenal ulcer. This was before it was discovered that H. pylori was the cause of most duodenal ulcers, and before modern acid-suppressing medicines became available. Surgery is now usually only needed if a complication of a duodenal ulcer develops such as severe bleeding or a perforation.