Born in the USA singer Bruce Springsteen announced on Wednesday the postponement of his upcoming concert dates. The reason ? He would suffer from a strange lesion: a peptic ulcer. Pauline Guillouche, gastroenterologist, explains to us the underside of this disease.
It was on his Instagram page that American singer Bruce Springsteen announced the news. The American star revealed that he had to cancel his tour planned for September, due to a health problem: a painful peptic ulcer.
Damage to the stomach lining
Duodenal ulcer results in a “loss of substance (of the mucosa, editor’s note) in the stomach or the first part of the small intestine, the duodenum“, specifies Pauline Guillouche, gastroenterologist.
Although this lesion is benign, it nevertheless generates pain.cramp-like and located in the upper abdomen“, adds the expert.
In fact, patients affected by the disease can be bothered on a daily basis, like the American singer Bruce Springsteen, who was forced to slow down his activity during the month of September to receive treatment.
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Detect and treat peptic ulcer
If painful cramps appear in the upper part of the abdomen, a consultation with a gastroenterologist is necessary.
“The specialist will then carry out a gastric fibroscopy” ; an examination which allows you to visualize the interior of the digestive tract thanks to the introduction of a tube.
The causes of these persistent cramps can thus be established.
“The two most common causes being Helicobacter pylori, a common bacteria that infects the inner lining of the stomach, and taking anti-inflammatories.“, explains Pauline Guillouche.
In terms of treatments, cramps are generally calmed by diet. Foods high in soluble fiber – such as oats, legumes, nuts and apples – seem particularly effective. But some medications have already proven their worth.
“Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are indicated in the management of peptic ulcers”points out Pauline Guillouche.
If this ulcer is rather well treated, the expert specifies that this is not the case for chronic gastric ulcer which can “turns into cancer“. In this specific case, it is then essential to “ensure that it heals well under treatment“.