Duodenal ulcer

Alternative names:

peptic ulcer; peptic ulcer disease; ulcer; ulcer - duodenal; ulcer - peptic

Symptoms:

• Abdominal pain.
  • May wake the person at night.
  • May be relieved by antacids or milk.
  • May occur two to three hours after a meal.
  • May be worsened by not eating
• Nausea and/or vomiting.
• Weight loss.
• Fatigue.
• Dark, tarry stools.

• Heartburn.
• Chest pain.
• Belching.
• Indigestion.

Note: There may be no symptoms.

The following symptoms can be life threatening. Contact your health-care provider immediately if you have any emergency symptoms such as:

• Sharp, sudden, persistent stomach pain.
• Bloody or black stool.
• Bloody vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.

Signs and tests:

• An upper GI series showing a duodenal ulcer.
• An endoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and biopsy showing a duodenal ulcer.
• An H. pylori test, if ulcer is found; H. pylori can be diagnosed through a blood, breath, or tissue test.

• Stool guaiac
• Schilling test
• Haptoglobin
• CEA
• Amylase, urine
• Amylase