Managing Peptic Ulcer

The goal of managing peptic ulcer disease is to eliminate the conditions that aggravate it and to prevent recurrence.

In people whose ulcers are associated with the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, that means finding another way to relieve pain; in people who smoke, it means quitting; in people whose condition seems to worsen with stress, it means finding new ways to reduce stress.

Since most ulcers are caused by the bacterium H. pylori, eradicating this infection is critical to preventing recurring bouts of the disease. All patients with ulcers should be tested for H. pylori infection and treated, if necessary.