digestive disorders
Peptic Ulcer Disease
Diagnosis of Peptic Ulcer Disease
Upper endoscopy A doctor suspects an ulcer when a person has characteristic stomach pain. Sometimes the doctor simply treats the person for an ulcer to see whether the symptoms resolve (called empiric therapy). If the symptoms resolve, the person most likely had an ulcer. Tests may be needed to confirm the diagnosis, especially when symptoms do not resolve after a few weeks of treatment, or when they first appear in a person who is over age 45 or who has other symptoms such as weight loss, because stomach cancer can cause similar symptoms. Also, when severe ulcers resist treatment, particularly if a person has several ulcers or the ulcers are in unusual places, a doctor may suspect an underlying condition that causes the stomach to overproduce acid. To help diagnose ulcers and determine their cause, the doctor does Endoscopy (a procedure done using a flexible viewing tube called an endoscope). During endoscopy, a doctor can do a biopsy (removal of a tissue sample for examination under a microscope) to determine if a gastric ulcer is cancerous and to help identify the presence ofHelicobacter pyloribacteria. An endoscope also can be used to stop active bleeding and decrease the likelihood of recurring bleeding from an ulcer. Blood tests to measure gastrin levels are done in people who may have Gastrinoma . 