Medical Questions » Stomach Questions » Question No. 951
| Question: | Could you please explain, just what is a peptic ulcer? One doctor told me I had a stomach ulcer, then another said it was a peptic ulcer. What is the difference? |
| Answer: | Peptic ulcer is a term that is used to include any one of several different types of ulcers that occur in the stomach, pylorus (connection between the stomach and duodenum) and the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). If the hydrochloric acid in the stomach that is used for digestion attacks the stomach wall, it causes a gastric ulcer (stomach ulcer), the same as an acid burn on the skin. The duodenum may also develop an ulcer (duodenal ulcer), as excess acid overflows from the stomach. Pyloric ulcers develop at the point where a muscle ring acts as a valve between the stomach and duodenum. |
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