Medical Update - Pain that’s hard to stomach
In mid-September, as reported by USA Today, doctors from the American College of Gastroenterology fielded questions from the public for 12 hours on the newspaper’s Heartburn Hot Line. The following are some of the more interesting comments of the specialists:
To a North Carolina man whose ulcer symptoms of 20 years recently disappeared after penicillin treatment for an abscessed tooth: A bacterium, H. pylori, is probably the main cause of stomach irritation in this country, and it is likely that the penicillin killed the bacteria causing the stomach pain.
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To a Florida woman taking Pepcid and Reglan the past two years for gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), who asked how long she might have to take the medicine: Many patients with chronic heartburn need to be on medication indefinitely. If your doctor is not a specialist in gastroenterology, and you want a second opinion, ask him to refer you to one–or write to the American College of Gastroenterology, P.O. Box 3099, Alexandria, VA 22302, for the names of gastroenterologists in your area.
To a New York man who’s been seeing a doctor for eight years for an ulcer that still gives him trouble, and wants to know if it’s due to stress: We no longer think ulcers are caused by stress. Ask your doctor to have you tested for H. pylori infection, which can be treated by antibiotics. Most other ulcers are caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Aleve.
COPYRIGHT 1995 Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
