Gastroenterologists Refute Claim that Daily Stress Causes Stomach Ulcers

Gastroenterologists have refuted information about the ability of daily stress to cause stomach or duodenal ulcers.

“I still often hear people say things like, ‘My job is so stressful that I’m about to get an ulcer,'” said Dr. Aaron Martin of Jefferson Health in Philadelphia.

No Connection Between Stress and Ulcers

Martin believed that “there is no connection between stress and ulcers. Symptoms of ulcers can vary and at other times may be asymptomatic… Symptoms typically appear as pain in the middle of the upper abdomen and lower abdomen.”

Common Causes of Heartburn

For her part, Dr. Harmony Ellison of Tufts Medical Center in Boston notes that the most common causes of heartburn are Helicobacter pylori bacteria and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin.

Ellison confirms that ulcers are common among older people, and bad habits and medications also affect the development of ulcers.

Prevalence of Ulcers

Statistics show that 5-10 percent of the world’s population suffers from ulcers, most of whom are treated outside hospitals with drugs that suppress the secretion of acidic juices.

Bacterium Helicobacter pylori and Stomach Cancer

In the fall of 2022, Russian doctor Svetlana Savchenko indicated that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori can cause stomach cancer.

Savchenko confirmed that these bacteria are present in the stomachs of more than half of the world’s population, although most of them do not experience any symptoms or diseases of the digestive system, which means these bacteria do not cause ulcers or any other changes in them. But if left untreated, these bacteria remain in the body for life, increasing the risk of gastrointestinal diseases – from chronic gastritis to stomach ulcers and cancer.

Source: newspaper “Izvestia”