Duodenal ulcers are part of a group of conditions collectively known as peptic ulcer disease. They are diseased, damaged areas--also known as lesions--located in the beginning of the small intestine, which is called the duodenum. According to Dr. Andrew Soll, a professor of medicine at UCLA Center for Health Sciences, "classic" symptoms of duodenal ulcers often occur when stomach acid is released into an empty stomach. So symptoms will often occur several hours after a meal has been eaten. Antacids or eating may help, but sometimes surgery may be needed in chronic ulcers with more severe symptoms.
Heartburn
Patients with heartburn often report a feeling of burning pain that seems to travel upwards in the area just behind the breastbone; this pain is experienced shortly after eating. While this is a nonspecific symptom that could be caused by a variety of conditions, heartburn is a common symptom of duodenal ulcers.
In addition to the burning pain of heartburn, patients may complain of regurgitation, which is the unpleasant sensation that already-eaten food has come back up into the mouth. Finally, coughing, nausea and throat pain may also be ways in which a patient experiences heartburn due to a duodenal ulcer. Eating food, taking an antacid, or taking a medication that reduces the secretion of stomach acid may all help with this symptom.
Epigastric Pain
According to Dr. Soll, writing in the medical database UpToDate, about two-thirds of patients with duodenal ulcers will complain of pain in the area above the belly button and around the stomach, an area that is known as the epigastrium. The pain may be burning, cramping, or feel like hunger pains; alternatively, some patients feel like their pain is more vague and cramp-like. A typical pattern in duodenal ulcers is several weeks of painful episodes, followed by weeks, or even months, with no pain symptoms.
Black Stools and Coffee-Ground Vomit
Duodenal ulcers are associated with bleeding within the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract--this is also known as an upper-GI bleed. According to Drs. Rome Jutabha and Dennis Jensen, writing in an article published in the journal "Medical Clinics of North America," ulcers are a common cause for upper GI bleeds.
A 2008 study published in the journal "Gastrointestinal Endoscopy" reported that 3 percent of cases of upper-GI bleeding were due to duodenal ulcers. This complication results in the related symptoms of passing black, tar-like stools as well as vomiting blood or a substance that looks like coffee grounds. These are both indications that the ulcer is bleeding; a patient with these symptoms should seek medical attention promptly.
References
- "Medical Clinics of North America"; Management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the patient with chronic liver disease; R. Jutabha and D.M. Jensen; September 1996
- "Gastrointestinal Endoscopy"; An evaluation of endoscopic indications and findings related to nonvariceal upper-GI hemorrhage in a large multicenter consortium; B. K. Enestvedt et. al.; March 2008
- "UpToDate"; Denise S. Basow; 2010
