A common digestive disorder.

#5

Stomach and Duodenal Ulcers are very common and affect a lot of human beings. Ulcers are open sores found on the skin or on areas of membrane in the body. There are different types of ulcers; peptic, gastric, and duodenal. Most commonly they are just called peptic ulcers. These are ulcers that are found in the lining of the stomach or duodenum. "It is estimated that 2% of the adult population in the United States has active peptic ulcers, and that about 10% will develop ulcers at some point in their lives." At first, doctors believed that ulcers were formed from great amounts of stress, poor diet and lifestyle choices. Now it is believed to be the result of stomach acids like hydrochloric and pepsin acids. Symptoms that you may have an ulcer include nausea, vomiting, weight loss or sometimes weight gain, fatigue, heartburn and indigestion. Some ulcers may not have any symptoms at all, which is known as a silent ulcer. They can also cause symptoms like bleeding, perforation (when ulcers become too deep and break through the stomach), narrowing and obstruction (ulcers that block food from entering the stomach). Ulcers may be treated in many different ways. You may have to make some changes to the way you live. Things such as smoking, poor eating habits, and drinking can make ulcers worse and slow down the healing process. Medication, antibiotics, and surgery are also options as well. I personally know a few people with ulcers and they can become very uncomfortable but if taken care of and treated right you may lead a normal life. Overall, ulcers can affect your body if you don't do anything to treat them and get worse, but are very curable.

http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/25/Ulcers-digestive.html#ixzz0q61SonMf
http://www.answers.com/topic/ulcers-digestive-causes-and-symptoms
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/digestive/disorders/186.html