What are the signs of a stomach ulcer?
The main sign of a stomach ulcer is a gnawing or burning pain in the upper belly. The pain tracks with food, easing or worsening after eating, often waking you between 2 and 4 am, with bloating, early fullness or nausea alongside.
The two dominant causes are H. pylori infection and regular anti-inflammatory painkillers, not spicy food or stress alone, though both aggravate.
Alarm signs are black tarry stools, vomiting blood or coffee-ground material, weight loss and worsening pain: those need urgent care. Otherwise, an H. pylori test and a treatment course cure most ulcers permanently.
Source: NHS, stomach ulcer
See a doctor promptly if
- Food sticking or difficulty swallowing, or pain on swallowing
- Unintentional weight loss with indigestion or bloating
- Vomiting blood, or vomit that looks like coffee grounds
- Black tarry stools, or a new diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia
- Persistent vomiting, or a mass felt in the upper abdomen
- New persistent bloating on most days for three weeks or more, especially in women over 50
Try the symptom diary10 seconds a day, free, nothing to installGut symptoms travel with food, stress and timing, and nobody reconstructs that from memory.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
Unglamorous and well proven
Daily psyllium helps constipation, modestly lowers cholesterol, and steadies blood sugar after meals. Start small and drink water with it.
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