If you are wondering why your ulcer is not responding to treatment, here are 5 very important things you should Know.
Before we look at the possible reasons your ulcer is not responding to treatment, we will take a look at what ulcer is.
Peptic ulcer is a sore on the lining of your stomach. It could either be in small intestine or esophagus.
Furthermore, a peptic ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer.
When a peptic ulcer develops in the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) it is referred to as duodenal ulcer.
Also, when ulcer occurs in the lower part of your esophagus it is esophageal ulcer.
However, some persons will receive ulcer treatment, yet the ulcer will not go away.
When this is the case or what you are facing, consider the list below. Give attention to number 5.
Why Your Ulcer Is Not Responding To Treatment
1. You Have Refractory Peptic Ulcers
A study says when your ulcer is not responding to treatment it is referred to as refractory peptic ulcers (1).
This ulcers do not heal completely after 8 to 12 weeks of standard anti-secretory drug treatment.
It will require that you adopt a new strategy in the treatment. We have added what you should consider in your new strategy in this article.
2. You Have Persistent Helicobacter Pylori Infection
According to the study above, persistent Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the causes of refractory peptic ulcers.
This is a type of bacteria that infects your stomach.
This bacteria can damage the tissue in your stomach and the first part of your small intestine (the duodenum).
Furthermore, this can cause redness and soreness (inflammation).
Therefore, it is important that you go for a culture test for H. Pylori. This will help you know if it is this bacteria that is causing the recurrence.
3. You Are Taking Pain Killer
One of the mistakes people who have ulcer make is to take painkiller to calm the pain.
Unfortunately, a study says us of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) could make ulcer refuse to go away.
According to the study, cold remedies or headache medicines contain NSAIDs (2).
It further says NSAIDs delay ulcer healing by depleting prostaglandin, which plays a critical role in mucosal maintenance and protection.
In fact, the use of NSAIDs more frequently is attributed to gastric ulcers, but may also result in duodenal ulcers.
Furthermore, the study says NSAIDs have recently emerged as a major cause of peptic ulcers in an increasingly aged population with increased NSAID use, as well as a decreased prevalence of H. pylori previously considered the primary cause of peptic ulcer diseases (3).
For the above reason, you may need to discontinue the use of pain killers or other medicines that contain NSAIDs.
Kindly relate with your doctor before you take any medicine.
4. You Are Smoking Or Using Other Drugs
If you smoke cigarette or take cracks of cocaine, you will need to stop if you want your ulcer to respond to treatment.
Smoking cigarette, crack or cocaine reduces prostaglandin synthesis and decreases the barrier function of the gastric mucosa (4).
According to a study, cigarette smoking also induces a significant reduction in gastric mucosal blood flow (5).
There are also reports that peptic ulcers are more common in smokers than in non-smokers due to increased gastrin and gastric acid levels and decreased bicarbonate secretion.
Cigarette smoking is positively associated with peptic ulcer pathogenesis and delayed ulcer healing.
5. Mesenteric Ischemia And Ulcer
This is a decrease in the amount of blood that flow to your intestine.
It could be as a result of a block in the mesenteric arteries.
According to a study, this could be one reason your ulcer is not responding to treatment.
Do you You Know Prolonged Ulcer Could Cause Gallstone?
The fact is, you need adequate blood supply to the stomach and duodenum to maintain mucosal integrity and promote ulcer healing.
One of the reasons could be that you are not exercising enough or that you have high cholesterol.
Bad cholesterol clogs the arteries and inhibit flow of blood to the intestine.
If you are treating ulcer and it is not responding to treatment, increasing your physical activity level will not be a bad idea.
Also ensure that you monitor the amount of oil you take in from the foods you eat.
6. You Are Getting Less Or More Than Enough Sleep
Here is another thing that people who have ulcer ignore a lot.
You cannot be staying awake at night, getting less than 7 hours of sleep, and expect your ulcer to go away.
A study says that sleep deprivation could increase the pain (6).
One study says sleep deprivation is associated with production of inflammatory cytokines (7).
Disturbed sleep quality has been associated with increased risk of disease flare in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC).
It concludes that less than 6 hours sleep per day and more than 9 hours sleep per day are each increases risk of UC.
You may need to reconsider the amount of hours you give to sleeping.
How To Continue Treatment Of Ulcer
Experts recommend that if your ulcer is not responding to treatment, you should identify the cause and address it.
If it is as a result of a bacteria, treat the bacteria.
Another thing to do is to give proper attention to your diet. Take out spicy foods that could aggravate the ulcer.
Ensure that you eat every 2 hours and be sure to make your meal healthy – a balanced diet.
Add more vegetables to your diet and ensure one of them is celery.
Also, you need to increase intake of water to aid bowel movement and support blood flow to wounded tissues (8).
The above study recommends that for the healing of pressure ulcers, you should take 30–40 ml/kg or 1,500ml per day.