Q: My household all the time says I’m going to provide myself an ulcer if I don’t handle my stress. However is that basically a factor?
Though folks have lengthy believed — and doctors used to claim — that stress may cause abdomen ulcers, the connection between the 2 just isn’t easy, specialists say.
It’s true that some critically unwell sufferers, like these admitted to intensive care items, can develop stress ulcers, that are sores within the lining of the gastrointestinal tract that rapidly come up after excessive bodily stress. However “there’s merely no knowledge” confirming that on a regular basis psychological stress can instantly trigger ulcers, mentioned Dr. Tonya Adams, a gastroenterologist at Gastro Well being in Fairfax, Va.
That mentioned, it’s potential that, amongst people who find themselves at excessive threat for creating ulcers for different causes, corresponding to overusing particular medicines or being contaminated with a sure kind of micro organism, stress may tip them over the sting, mentioned Dr. Neha Mathur, a gastroenterologist at Houston Methodist Hospital.
The Complicated Position of Stress
A standard kind of ulcer — referred to as a peptic ulcer — types when abdomen acid erodes the protecting lining of the abdomen or the small gut, inflicting sores to develop, mentioned Dr. Carolyn Newberry, a gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian. One other kind, generally known as a gastric ulcer, types when the sores develop within the abdomen lining particularly.
Researchers estimate that about 5 to 10 percent of individuals worldwide will develop an ulcer.
Most individuals with peptic ulcers would not have signs, Dr. Mathur mentioned. However some can have higher stomach ache, upset abdomen, heartburn, bloating or nausea. Some ulcers additionally bleed, inflicting darkish, tar-like stools or stools tinged with vibrant purple blood.
