What are the symptoms of duodenal ulcer?

If the human body secretes too much gastric acid, duodenal ulcer is likely to occur, and the patient will experience abdominal pain symptoms. This abdominal pain is rhythmic and cyclical. Moreover, duodenal ulcer is a chronic development process, and sometimes the course of the disease can last for more than ten years.

1. Rhythmicity: The pain of duodenal ulcer often occurs on an empty stomach before meals or in the middle of the night, and can be slightly relieved after eating or taking antacids. The rhythmicity of pain in some special ulcer diseases is not very obvious, such as ulcers in the elderly and retrobulbar duodenal ulcers. When the rhythm of pain changes suddenly, it should be considered that the disease is progressing or complications may occur.

2. Periodicity: Most patients have recurrent attacks, and the attacks and remission periods alternate with changes in seasonal factors, mental stress, mood swings, irregular diet, or taking medications related to the disease. It reflects the repeated process of the ulcer cycle, which includes the acute active phase of the ulcer, gradual healing, and scar formation. The attack period can last for weeks or even months, and the remission period can last for months or years. The frequency of attacks and the duration of attacks and remission periods vary depending on individual differences among patients, the development of the ulcer, the effectiveness of treatment, and measures to consolidate the therapeutic effects.

3. Chronic process: Except for a few patients who seek medical treatment early, most patients have had the disease for several years, more than ten years or even longer.

4. Location of pain: Duodenal ulcer is located in the middle or right side of the upper abdomen. The pain range is generally limited, with local tenderness, but the location of the pain is not necessarily the location of the ulcer. When the ulcer is deep into the serosa or is a penetrating ulcer, the pain may spread to other parts of the body such as the chest, left upper abdomen, right upper abdomen or back.

5. The nature and degree of pain: Each person has a different tolerance to pain, so there is no objective standard for the degree of pain in ulcer disease. The nature of the pain also depends on the patient's feelings. It is usually described as hunger-like discomfort, dull pain, belching, pressure, burning pain or severe pain and tingling. Most patients will experience various symptoms of indigestion, but some may not have any symptoms until complications occur.