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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffLeft untreated, peptic ulcers can result in:
- Internal bleeding. Bleeding can occur as slow blood loss that leads to anemia or as severe blood loss that may require hospitalization or a blood transfusion.
- Infection. Peptic ulcers can eat a hole through the wall of your stomach or small intestine, putting you at risk of serious infection of your abdominal cavity (peritonitis).
- Scar tissue. Peptic ulcers can also produce scar tissue that can obstruct passage of food through the digestive tract, causing you to become full easily, to vomit and to lose weight.
References
- H. pylori and peptic ulcer. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hpylori/. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- What I need to know about peptic ulcers. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pepticulcers_ez/. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- Peptic ulcer disease. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/frame-templates/print_template.cfm. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- Soll AH. Peptic ulcer disease: Genetic, environmental, and psychological risk factors and pathogenesis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- Soll AH. Overview of peptic ulcer: Epidemiology and major causes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- Lau JY. Omeprazole before endoscopy in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;356(16):1631-1640.
- Yang YX. Long-term proton pump inhibitor therapy and risk of hip fracture. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007;296(24):2947-2953.
- Soll AH. Overview of the natural history and treatment of peptic ulcer disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- Soll AH. Treatment of refractory or recurrent peptic ulcer disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- Soll AH. Unusual causes of and diseases associated with peptic ulcer disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 16, 2008.
- Cryer B, et al. Peptic ulcer disease. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fortran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Saunders Elsevier. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/113080343-3/781010342/1389/364.html#4-u1.0-B1-4160-0245-6..50055-X--cesec29_2206. Accessed Nov. 3, 2008.
