duodenal ulcer

the commonest type of PEPTIC ULCER . Duodenal ulcers may occur after the age of 20 and are more common in men. The cause is open to debate but probably results from an abrasion or break in the DUODENUM lining, which is the exacerbated by GASTRIC JUICE . Smoking seems to be a contributory but not a causal factor. The ulcer manifests itself as an upper abdominal pain roughly two hours after a meal and also occurs during the night. Bland food (e.g. milk) relieves the symptom, and a regime of frequent meals and milky snacks, with little or no fried food and spices and a minimum of strong tea and coffee, is usually adopted. Recent drug treatments enable the acid secretion to be reduced, thus allowing the ulcer to heal. Surgery is required only if there is no response to medicaltreatment, if the PYLORUS is obstructed or if the ulcer becomes perforated. The last is treated as an emergency.