Symptoms of Peptic Ulcer

List of symptoms of Peptic Ulcer:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Peptic Ulcer includes the 16 symptoms listed below:

• Abdominal discomfort - this is the primary symptom; usually chronic and ongoing; the discomfort has particular characteristic patterns:
  • Abdominal pain after a meal - usually 2-3 hours later
  • Abdominal pain on empty stomach
  • Abdominal pain relieved by food
  • Abdominal pain relieved by antacids
• Weight loss
• Poor appetite
• Bloating
• Belching
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Gastrointestinal bleeding - a very serious symptom requiring immediate medical attention; caused by a bleeding ulcers, its symptoms may include:
  • Blood in vomit
  • Vomit with coffee grounds consistency
  • Blood in stool
  • Black stool

Note that Peptic Ulcer symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Peptic Ulcer signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Peptic Ulcer

Do I have Peptic Ulcer?

• Peptic Ulcer: Introduction
• Peptic Ulcer: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Peptic Ulcer
• Failure to Diagnose Peptic Ulcer
• Hidden Causes of Peptic Ulcer
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Peptic Ulcer
• More about Peptic Ulcer

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Peptic Ulcer:

• Colon & Rectal Cancer: Home Testing
  • Home Colorectal Cancer Tests
  • Home Fecal Occult Bleeding Tests

Wrongly Diagnosed with Peptic Ulcer?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Peptic Ulcer includes:

• Chronic digestive diseases
• Crohn's disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Functional dyspepsia
• Nonulcer dyspepsia

See the full list of 41 alternative diagnoses for Peptic Ulcer

More about symptoms of Peptic Ulcer:

More information about symptoms of Peptic Ulcer and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Peptic Ulcer
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Peptic Ulcer
• Underlying causes of Peptic Ulcer
• Associated conditions for Peptic Ulcer
• Risk factors for Peptic Ulcer

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Abdominal discomfort - see all causes of Abdominal discomfort
• Abdominal pain after a meal - see all causes of Meal symptoms
• Abdominal pain on empty stomach - see all causes of Meal symptoms
• Abdominal pain relieved by antacids - see all causes of Abdominal pain
• Abdominal pain relieved by food - see all causes of Abdominal pain
• Belching - see all causes of Belching
• Black stool - see all causes of Black stool
• Bloating - see all causes of Abdominal swelling
• Blood in stool - see all causes of Bloody stool
• Blood in vomit - see all causes of Vomiting blood
• Gastrointestinal bleeding - see all causes of Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Nausea - see all causes of Nausea
• Poor appetite - see all causes of Poor appetite
• Vomit with coffee grounds consistency - see all causes of Vomiting
• Vomiting - see all causes of Vomiting
• Weight loss - see all causes of Weight loss

Medical Books Online about Peptic Ulcer

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Peptic Ulcer are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Peptic Ulcer.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Peptic Ulcer: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Peptic Ulcer.

Peptic ulcers: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Heartburn and indigestion usually signal the beginning of a gastric ulcer attack. Eating stretches the gastric wall and may cause or, in some cases, relieve pain and feelings of fullness and distention. Other typical effects include weight loss and repeated episodes of massive GI bleeding.

Duodenal ulcers produce heartburn, well-localized midepigastric pain (relieved by food), weight gain (because the patient eats to relieve discomfort), and a peculiar sensation of hot water bubbling in the back of the throat. Attacks usually occur about 2 hours after meals, whenever the stomach is empty, or after consumption of orange juice, coffee, aspirin, or alcohol. Exacerbations tend to recur several times per year and then fade into remission. Vomiting and other digestive disturbances are rare.

Ulcers may penetrate the pancreas and cause severe back pain. Other complications of peptic ulcers include perforation, hemorrhage, and pyloric obstruction. Ulcers may, on occasion, produce no symptoms.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Peptic ulcers: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Symptoms vary with the type of ulcer.

Gastric ulcers

Gastric ulcers are usually signaled by pain that becomes more intense with eating. The pain is usually constant because the gastric mucosa is sensitive to acid secretion. Nausea or anorexia may occur.

Duodenal ulcers

Duodenal ulcers produce epigastric pain that’s gnawing, dull, aching, or “hunger-like.” The pain is relieved by food or antacids and typically recurs 2 to 4 hours later. Weight loss or vomiting is typically a sign of malignancy or gastric outlet obstruction.

CLINICAL TIP: If the pain changes from rhythmic to constant or radiates, ulcer penetration into the pancreas or perforation may have occurred.

Well-localized midepigastric pain (relieved by food), weight gain (because the patient eats to relieve discomfort), and a peculiar sensation of hot water bubbling in the back of the throat are other reported signs.

 Exacerbations tend to recur several times a year, then fade into remission. Vomiting and other digestive disturbances are rare.

Complications

Both kinds of ulcers may be asymptomatic or may penetrate the pancreas and cause severe back pain. Other complications of peptic ulcers include perforation, hemorrhage, and pyloric obstruction.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Peptic Ulcer:

H_ pylori and Peptic Ulcer: NIDDK (Excerpt)

Abdominal discomfort is the most common symptom. This discomfort usually

• is a dull, gnawing ache.
  
  
• comes and goes for several days or weeks.
  
  
• occurs 2 to 3 hours after a meal.
  
  
• occurs in the middle of the night (when the stomach is empty).
  
  
• is relieved by food.
  
  
• is relieved by antacid medications.

• weight loss
  
  
• poor appetite
  
  
• bloating
  
  
• burping
  
  
• nausea
  
  
• vomiting

Helicobacter pylori Infections (H. pylori) general: DBMD (Excerpt)

The most common ulcer symptom is gnawing or burning pain in the abdomen between the breastbone and the belly button. The pain often occurs when the stomach is empty, between meals and in the early morning hours, but it can occur at any other time. It may last from minutes to hours and may be relieved by eating food or taking antacids. Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite. Sometimes ulcers bleed. If bleeding continues for a long time, it may lead to anemia with weakness and fatigue. If bleeding is heavy, blood may appear in vomit or bowel movements, which may appear dark red or black. (Source: excerpt from Helicobacter pylori Infections (H. pylori) general: DBMD)

Peptic Ulcer as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Peptic Ulcer, it is also important to consider Peptic Ulcer as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Peptic Ulcer may cause:

• Abdominal pain
• Chest pain
• Gastrointestinal perforation
• Hypovolaemic shock
• Pancreatitis, acute
• Pyloric stenosis (adult / acquired)

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Peptic Ulcer
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Peptic Ulcer
• How serious is Peptic Ulcer?
• More about Peptic Ulcer
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Peptic Ulcer:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Peptic Ulcer. This signs and symptoms information for Peptic Ulcer has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Peptic Ulcer signs or Peptic Ulcer symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Peptic Ulcer may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Peptic Ulcer symptoms.