Take the Tummy Trouble Quiz Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures Heartburn? Foods to Eat, Foods to Avoid Slideshow

Medical Author:

Michael W Stratemeier, MD

Coauthor:

Lisa Vignogna, MD

Medical Editor:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Peptic Ulcer Prognosis

Most people with peptic ulcers get better when treated with the appropriate medicine.

• Treatment for H pylori bacteria is usually successful if medications are taken as prescribed.
• Although ulcers can cause discomfort, they are rarely life threatening.

Ulcers can have several complications. These usually develop in people who do not receive appropriate treatment.

Bleeding: Ulcers in the stomach or duodenum may bleed.

• Usually, this is because the blood vessel (artery) supplying the area of the ulcer has been damaged by stomach acid.
• Sometimes this is the only sign of an ulcer.
• Bleeding may be slow or fast.
• Slow bleeding is typically from a small blood vessel; the usual result is low blood count (anemia), and symptoms are tiredness (fatigue), lethargy, and pallor.
• Fast bleeding is typically from a larger artery, and symptoms including vomiting acidified blood, which looks something like coffee grounds, or bloody or black, tarry stools.

Perforation: When an ulcer gets very bad, it can eat all the way through the intestinal wall.

• The resulting hole in the intestine is called perforation.
• The contents of the intestine (food, bacteria, and digestive juices) can then spill out.
• These substances can injure other tissues and cause serious infection.

Obstruction: An ulcer causes inflammation.

• If this inflammation becomes chronic (ongoing, long lasting), it can cause swelling and scarring.
• Over time, this scarring can completely block off the digestive tract.
• This blocks food from passing, causing vomiting and weight loss.