What Is Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) Infection? [dropcap]H[/dropcap]elicobacter pylori infection is a potentially deadly stomach disease characterized by chronic superficial inflammation and ulcerations in 100% of infected patients. This infection disrupts normal defense and repair…
[dropcap]G[/dropcap]astric ulcer is a painful stomach disorder characterized by an open sore involving the mucosa lining and deeper muscle layer of the stomach.
Gastric ulcer is associated with lymphocytic gastritis which is inflammation of the mucosal lining of the stomach. The thick mucosal lining normally protects the stomach from the erosive action of stomach acid.
Q: How do ulcers develop?
A: Ulcers develop if hydrochloric acid secreted by the gastric glands of the stomach for the purpose of digesting food damages the normally resistant mucosal walls of the stomach. In the reverse, ulcers may be accompanied by achlorhydria (insufficient acid production).
Damage occurs when there is a predisposing factor that alters the health of the mucosal lining. The most common cause is infection with a bacteria called h. pylori bacter, stress and chronic use of the pain relievers aspirin and non-steroidal drugs like ibuprofen.
Smoking tocacco and consuming alcohol aggravate an ulcer but do not cause it to develop.
The most common location for ulcer formation is along the stomach antrum which is the area of the stomach before the pylorus, the lower region that empties liquid stomach contents into the small intestine.
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]mpaired gall bladder motility means the gall bladder is slow to empty or is dysfunctional.
The functional disorder of the gallbladder is caused initially either by metabolic abnormalities or by an alteration in its muscular ability to contract (motility dysfunction).
The diagnostic criteria based on symptoms of motility dysfunction of the gallbladder are episodes of moderate to severe steady pain located in the epigastrium and right upper abdominal quadrant that last at least 30 minutes.
Gallbladder motility disorder is suspected after gallstones and other structural abnormalities have been excluded.1
Q: What does the gallbladder do?
A: The gallbladder is a small pouch-like organ about the size of a pear that receives bile produced by the liver and stores it until needed during digestion. It lies just under the liver.
Bile is a complex fluid containing water, electrolytes and many organic molecules including bile acids, cholesterol, phospholipids and bilirubin. Bile acids are critical for digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins in the small intestine. Many waste products, including bilirubin, are eliminated from the body by secretion into bile and elimination in feces.2
Before a meal, the gallbladder is usually full of bile. In response to fat in the diet, the gallbladder squeezes stored bile into the small intestine through a series of ducts. When emptied after meals, the gallbladder is flat.
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ultiple gastric ulcerations denote a stomach disorder that involves damage to the superficial mucosa characterized by many sores of the stomach antrum that are marked by inflammation, necrosis (death of the affected cells) and sloughing of destroyed tissue.
Q: Where is the stomach antrum?
A: The antrum is the lower region of the stomach before the pylorus which is nearest the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). The stomach and duodenum are separated by the powerful pyloric sphincter.
The stomach antrum propels food in the stomach against the pylorus which resists passage of food until it is turned into chyme. Chyme is highly acidic liquified food that has been thoroughly mixed with stomach juices.
Gastric ulcerations are typically associated with widespread gastritis (inflammation), inflammatory involvement of acid producing cells, and atrophy of acid and pepsin producing cells.1
The primary causes of gastric ulcerations are H. pylori infection, use of Aspirin and non-steroidal drugs (NSAIDS), and stress.1