Ask a doctor - What are the main causes of a peptic ulcer?

Q. What are the main causes of a peptic ulcer?

Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.

Answered by Secondmedic Expert

Peptic ulcers are a painful, open sore on the lining of the stomach or small intestine and can be caused by several possible factors.

The most common cause is an infection with Helicobacter pylori, or H.pylori, bacteria. These bacteria play an important role in breaking down food to aid digestion and they occur naturally in the stomach when present in normal amounts; however, when there’s too much of it it can degrade intestinal mucous membranes leading to ulceration. Risk factors for acquiring H.pylori include low levels of gastric acidity due to insufficient production from the stomach glands (hypochlorhydria), poor hygiene habits such as not washing hands after using the bathroom and before meals, eating contaminated food, fluoride intake over recommended levels in drinking water, and other environmental sources likely due to unsanitary conditions within one's local area.

The use of NSAID painkillers such as aspirin or ibuprofen is another contributing factor because it interrupts prostaglandin synthesis needed for proper gastrointestinal protection from excessive acid secretion in the lumen (stomach). Prolonged stress can also undermine proper functioning of both gastric cells that produce hydrochloric acid and those responsible for protecting mucosal walls with prostaglandins which can result in further irritation and inflammation leading towards ulceration; though this phenomenon has yet to be psychophysiologically confirmed through research studies

Finally, long-term smoking increases risk due largely to inhaled nicotine reducing blood flow necessary for healing existing lesions while decreasing salivation which aids digestion by providing lubrication preventing excess friction between ingested material and lining tissue; nevertheless conflicting evidence exists regarding nicotine's specific detrimental effects relative to peptic ulcers but that tobacco usage nonetheless increases overall risk regardlessly as cigarette smoke clearly has other deleterious effects on health unrelated whether directly pertaining towards digestive system disorders or otherwise .