The most common causes of peptic ulcers are infection with the H. pylori bacteria and overuse of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), including ibuprofen and several other over the counter medications. The bacteria H. pylori is actually considered most common out of all the causes of peptic ulcers, and the NSAIDs are a distant second. There are also other risk factors that increase a person’s chances of developing a peptic ulcer, including alcohol abuse, tobacco use, medical treatments involving radiation, and stress.
All the causes of peptic ulcers generally work by making the lining of the stomach fail, which allows acid to burn the wall of the stomach, thereby leading to pain and nausea. Ulcer symptoms tend to come and go periodically, and sometimes they can disappear for weeks or months at a time and then return. There are several medications used to treat ulcers, and most focus on reducing the amount of stomach acid produced so that the lining can heal. In some cases, patients will also take antacid medications as a way to deal with symptoms.
The H. pylori bacterium causes ulcers by directly damaging the lining of the stomach, and NSAIDs cause ulcers by disabling some of the stomach's protective mechanisms, which leads to lining damage. For H. pylori-based ulcers, anti-biotic prescriptions may cure the bacterial infection, but they won’t necessarily get rid of the ulcer right away. When ulcers are caused by NSAIDs, patients are generally advised to give up the medication until the ulcer has a chance to heal, which may take several months.
For many people, H. pylori infection doesn’t necessarily cause an ulcer or any other severe problems. Many scientists think certain risky behaviors that cause an increase in stomach acid, such as smoking and alcohol, might make it easier for the bacterium to cause problems. Researchers generally believe that H. pylori is contagious, but the mechanism for passing it from person to person is currently unknown.
Spicy food used to be considered one of the primary causes of peptic ulcers, but most experts do not believe this anymore. Some scientists think that spicy food can be a contributing factor in helping to aggravate an existing ulcer, which could cause a difficult episode with particularly severe symptoms. The medical community also suggests that alcohol and stress can aggravate existing ulcers in the same way. People who are trying to recover are often advised to avoid all the potential risky behaviors that lead to overproduction of stomach acid until their ulcers can heal.