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For this steam project My topic I chose was Ulcers. An ulcer is gastric mucosal damage to the stomach which can cause bleeding, erosion and congestion in the stomach tissue. Ulcers are also typically a painful sore in the stomach lining which is worsened by chronic stress and hormonal and immune responses. An ulcer ac affects the mucosa which is the innermost layer of the stomach, when this layer is damaged we see the initial inflammation occur. When the submucosa is affected we start to see bleeding due to the blood vessels in this area. In severe cases we can see black stools and or vomiting blood. When an ulcer penetrates to the muscularis externa this will disrupt normal stomach mobility and result in a hole in the stomach wall. Lastly when an ulcer gets all the way to the serosa it will cause perforation and contents from the stomach can leak into the abdominal cavity. If this is not treated it can lead to a life threatening infection in the abdominal cavity. In this article by Plos One researcher Zhang talks about how ulcers form “Glucocorticoids can not only interfere with tissue repair, elevate levels of gastric acid and pepsin, but also reduce the secretion of gastric mucus, and eventually impair gastric mucosal barrier resulting in peptic ulcer.” (Zhang et al., 2012, p. 8). How ulcers initially form is through stress which causes an increase in acid production which then decreases the amount of protective mucus and bicarbonate. This protective mucus and bicarbonate is a buffer from our stomach acid. When the acid overwhelms the protective barrier, the acid will damage the epithelial tissues in the stomach which causes inflammation which then leads to a peptic ulcer. In the article by Plos One the researchers conducted a study on rats. In this study the researchers exposed rats to chronic stress and found “There is a certain relationship between stress ulcer and depression… Antidepressants and acid-suppressing drugs may probably be used for the treatment of stress ulcer and depression respectively. Acute stress activates the HPA axis and chronic stress may result in reduced HPA axis activation. Interaction exists between the occurrence of depression and stress ulcer on the HPA axis”(Zhang et al., 2012, p. 8). There is a link between depression and ulcers. Stress is and depression are separate disorders that based off of thai study we see that there in fact is a connection between the two. In the study we see that antidepressants can possibly heal ulcers and acid suppressing drugs can help reduce depression by working across systems. The hypothalamic pituitary axis which is our hormone regulator we see that cortisone plays a key role in ulcer formation and depression. In the conclusion of the study we see that chronic stress can disrupt the body’s internal balance and cause depression and ulcers. How do we resolve ulcers well? In the article titled Investigation of antidepressant-like activity of famotidine in rodents we see how. The treatment for ulcers is primarily done through “Famotidine, an H2 receptor antagonist, significantly reduced the severity of gastric ulcers induced by ethanol and indomethacin in rodents, suggesting its potential role in ulcer treatment through acid suppression” (Bai et al., 2017). Famotidine is a H2 receptor antagonist which means it blocks histamine receptors in the stomach lining. This means that it reduces acid secretion in the stomach. This creates a less acidic environment in the stomach allowing the ulcer to heal without irritation from the stomach acid. Another treatment option is proton pump inhibitors. Proton pump inhibitors are another treatment due to them reducing acid production which gives the ulcer a better environment to heal due to the lack of acid.
In conclusion an ulcer is when there is too much stomach acid being stimulated due to chronic stress. The acid overwhelms the gastric mucosal damage to the stomach wall. This protective mucus and bicarbonate is a buffer from our stomach acid. When the acid overwhelms the protective barrier, the acid will damage the epithelial tissues in the stomach which causes inflammation which then leads to a peptic ulcer. Ulcers can be very severe where there is a hole in your stomach or can be more minor where there is just inflammation in your stomach. Treatment options are famotidine and or proton pump inhibitors both reduce acid production which gives the ulcer a better environment to heal due to the lack of acid.
Zhang, S., Xu, Z., Gao, Y., Wu, Y., Li, Z., & others. (2012). Bidirectional crosstalk between stress-induced gastric ulcer and depression under chronic stress. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e51148. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051148
Kumar, S., & Pandey, A. K. (2020). Plants and phytochemicals for treatment of peptic ulcer: An overview. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 27(12), 3129–3140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.08.001
Curtis brilliantly tackled the course objective “describe the four general layers of the digestive system and their functions” through the lens of peptic stomach ulcers and how they relate to stress and mental health. An ulcer is a painful sore in the stomach lining caused by damage to the mucosa. Normally, the stomach protects itself with mucus and bicarbonate, but under chronic stress, acid production increases while protective mucus decreases. This imbalance leads to mucosal damage, inflammation, and, in severe cases, bleeding or even perforation of the stomach wall. In an article by Zhang et al. (2012), researchers found a link between stress, depression, and ulcer formation via the HPA axis, which controls our stress hormones. Chronic stress disrupts this system, increasing glucocorticoids that elevate acid levels and impair tissue repair. The study even found antidepressants might help treat ulcers by restoring balance in the HPA axis. As far as treatment goes, Bai et al. (2017) explored the use of famotidine, an H2 receptor blocker. Famotidine reduces stomach acid, allowing the tissue to heal. Another common treatment is proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which work similarly by suppressing acid production. Overall, stress-induced ulcers are a perfect example of how mental and physical health intersect, and managing stress is key to both prevention and recovery. In order to show the progression of this condition, Curtis made two clay models of the stomach wall. One featured a common mild ulcer and the second depicted a severe ulcer that had perforated the stomach wall. As outlined in his essay, these can lead to serious health conditions if left untreated such as infections of the abdominal cavity.