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Duodenal ulcer is a much more common disease than gastric ulcer. Interestingly, according to the observations of researchers, damage to the walls of the duodenum is more often formed in people with the first blood group. Why this happens is still a mystery to scientists. But what researchers have no doubt about is the dangers of alcohol in the presence of erosions on the intestinal walls. But before discussing how alcohol can harm the body with a duodenal ulcer, you need to understand what this disease is and where it comes from.
What is the duodenum and where do ulcers come from?
There are probably no people who have not heard about stomach ulcers or who do not know where the main digestive organ is located. But with the duodenum everything is a little more complicated. Therefore, let's remember together what happens to food after we swallow it.
First, chewed food travels through the esophagus into the stomach, where it is processed by gastric juice. The food mixture then moves to the duodenum, where the ingested foods are exposed to enzymes. Gastric juice is necessary to speed up the digestion of food and at the same time it kills bacteria contained in food. But this liquid is quite aggressive, and to prevent it from damaging the gastrointestinal tract, the walls of the stomach and duodenum are covered with a mucous protective layer. Under normal conditions, a balance is maintained between the amount of gastric juice secreted and the thickness of the mucous membrane. But sometimes conditions are created in the digestive system under which the hydrochloric acid of gastric juice corrodes the protective lining of the stomach or duodenum. Then ulcers form on the walls of the organ.
The cause of duodenal ulcers in many cases is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which exhibits excessive activity in the digestive organs. Another factor contributing to the development of the disease is excessive use of pills, especially Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Diclofenac. Duodenal ulcers are often diagnosed in people suffering from arthritis. Researchers attribute this to the anti-inflammatory and pain medications that such patients often take.
But if the scientific world learned about the dangers of this bacterium relatively recently, then our grandmothers knew that poor nutrition, alcohol abuse and smoking can also cause ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract.
Sources of restrictions
Ethanol provokes changes in the glandular apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract. Under the influence of alcohol, the glands begin to produce the maximum amount of mucus, which contains hydrochloric acid, various enzymes and pepsin.
Drinking alcoholic beverages in the presence of an ulcer leads to an exacerbation of the pathological process and the formation of new lesions on the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.
With the systematic consumption of alcohol-containing drinks, atrophy of the walls of the gastrointestinal tract is observed. This anomaly leads to an increased risk of developing malignant neoplasms in the tissues of the digestive system.
Intake of alcoholic beverages:
- has a toxic effect on the body;
- disrupts the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- leads to disruptions in the functioning of the nervous system;
- reduces the functionality of the autoimmune system;
- impairs the penetration of vitamins, mineral compounds and biologically active substances into the body;
- causes mental health problems.
All of these changes have a negative impact on the course of peptic ulcer disease. Therefore, when asked whether it is possible to drink vodka if you have an ulcer, doctors confidently give a negative answer.
Under the influence of alcohol, a short-term suppression of painful sensations occurs, which is provoked by the inhibitory effect of ethanol on the functional abilities of the nervous system. In such a situation, alcohol acts as a pain reliever.
In parallel with this effect on the body, the patient experiences a slowdown in tissue regeneration processes, which leads to slow healing of the ulcer.
After drinking an alcoholic drink, the patient may complain of nausea and a feeling of heaviness in the epigastric region, at the same time the patient experiences problems with stool.
Drinking drinks that contain alcohol reduces the effectiveness of the medication used. The short-term relief that occurs when drinking alcohol is deceptive and carries the main danger. Contact with ethanol on areas of ulceration on the surface of the mucosa leads to spontaneous bleeding, which the patient does not feel after drinking the drink and intoxication.
How to recognize the disease
Although a duodenal ulcer is very similar in nature to a stomach ulcer, the symptoms of the diseases are different. People with erosions in the duodenum are usually bothered by pain in the upper abdomen. Usually, unpleasant sensations appear along with a feeling of hunger, and go away after a meal, although in some patients the pain after eating, on the contrary, may intensify. In addition, the disease is accompanied by bloating, vomiting, and sour belching. Meanwhile, sometimes there are cases of asymptomatic duodenal ulcers. As a rule, this form of the disease is diagnosed in older people.
If the disease is not treated, it progresses quickly and can cause internal bleeding, and as a result, vomiting and bloody stool. The most dangerous consequence of ignoring an ulcer is perforation of the duodenum. That is, the damage becomes so deep that it turns into a real hole in the intestinal wall. In this case, the patient develops very severe abdominal pain and requires immediate hospitalization.
In a medical facility, diagnosing the disease involves a complex of studies: from blood and stool tests to x-rays, biopsies, determination of intragastric acidity and the presence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Using endoscopic examination, the location and parameters of ulcer formation are determined.
The effect of hop drinks on pathology
This type of drink, despite its lightness and safety for the body, according to many patients, is capable, just like strong varieties of alcohol, of rapid development of the acute phase of the disease.
Filtered beer is especially dangerous for stomach ulcers, since it provokes fermentation processes in the digestive tract and thus has the most negative effect on it.
Consisting of the following:
- If you drink too large a dose of a filtered drink at once or drink it regularly, hydrochloric acid will begin to be released by receptors located in the walls of the stomach several times stronger. Such an increase in the negative corrosive process will provoke new ulceration of the walls of the digestive organ.
- Fermentation processes provoke the onset of rotting, which serves as an impetus for the development of inflammation.
- Low-alcohol beer drinks slow down digestion, and this causes the development of severe constipation, accumulation of gases in the intestines, bloating and flatulence. Also, thanks to them, the patient begins to suffer from heartburn and belching.
Such dysfunction, which has developed in the digestive organs, weakens the body’s protective functions, which leads to a lack of necessary nutrients, and, as a result, activation of Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which causes the very initial attack of ulcerative pathology.
How is a duodenal ulcer treated?
Duodenal ulcer is a curable disease.
A properly selected therapy program allows damage to the walls of the organ to heal completely, although scars will remain in their place. In the recent past, treatment of duodenal ulcers was limited to surgery, but after the discovery of Helicobacter pylori, methods changed dramatically. Nowadays, surgical operations as a method of treating peptic ulcers are used exclusively for severe complications of the disease. In other cases, therapy comes down to destroying the bacteria that causes the disease. For these purposes, antibiotics are traditionally used, such as Metronidazole, Clarithromycin, Amoxicillin, and in addition to drug treatment, the patient is prescribed a strict diet.
Alcohol against bacteria
As soon as people started talking in wide circles about the fact that the cause of ulcers in the digestive tract was a specific bacteria, alcohol lovers put forward their own theory of treatment. In their opinion, alcohol, being an antibacterial agent, is quite suitable for the prevention and treatment of duodenal ulcers. And I must say, some people try to be treated using this method. And doctors, learning about such cases, never cease to be horrified.
To be fair, it must be said that in scientific research circles there is still no general consensus on how alcohol affects the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. But most experts agree that alcohol in the company of Helicobacter pylori is a very dangerous mixture for the walls of the duodenum damaged by ulcers, and they strongly advise patients to completely eliminate alcoholic beverages from their lives. In addition, studies have confirmed the fact that alcohol is very dangerous in the pre-ulcer period. In particular, at this stage, alcohol abuse only exacerbates the harmful effects of bacteria on the walls of the stomach and intestines.
The only exception where alcohol is likely to be helpful in combating Helicobacter pylori overgrowth is in people with a completely healthy digestive system. Only in this case, according to German researchers, 25-50 ml of alcohol per day can slow down the growth of bacterial colonies in the digestive tract.
According to the same researchers, if you continue to drink alcohol in the presence of a peptic ulcer, then in 88% of cases the disease will develop into Mallory-Weiss syndrome, which is accompanied by gastrointestinal bleeding. And according to Swedish experts, approximately 35% of all gastrointestinal bleeding is the result of drinking alcohol against the background of an ulcer.
The benefits and harms of alcohol
As a rule, doctors believe that you should not drink alcohol if you have a stomach ulcer. This mandatory condition applies to vodka, cognac, wine, etc. And if pure alcohol and additional components are used for treatment, then in a small dosage this can contribute to recovery. Folk remedies quite often use recipes containing this ingredient.
You should be aware that if used incorrectly, unwanted reactions in the form of burns may occur, since alcohol has aggressive and irritating properties.
Alcohol-based medications kill pathogens.
Although the product is used in folk recipes, you can only use pure ethanol, in small doses, and in combination with other ingredients. Benefits of treatment:
- The pathogenic bacteria Helicobacter pylori are destroyed.
- Ulcers on the walls of the stomach are cauterized.
According to patient reviews, many managed to cure an ulcer with alcohol. You can overcome a stomach ulcer by taking 20 g of the product before meals in the morning, but not more. It is safer and more effective to take ethanol with a combination of emollients, such as butter, bear fat, and egg. In addition, tinctures are used to treat ulcers, but not with 70%, but with 40% of the product content.
But the attitude of medical professionals towards such therapy is skeptical. They believe that it is not difficult to find other non-drug remedies to combat ulcers. It is recommended to consult a gastroenterologist and endocrinologist before starting the procedures. It should also be remembered that internal intake of ethanol in high doses can cause alcoholism.
How alcohol affects mucous membranes
When any type of alcohol enters the stomach, the secretion of hydrochloric acid increases noticeably, and this reaction triggers a chain of processes, the result of which is inhibition of mucus formation in the stomach and duodenum, and increased permeability of the mucous membrane. As a result, the protective layer of the organs is damaged, and the regeneration of new cells in the mucous layer is inhibited under the influence of alcohol. By the way, it is precisely on the basis of this destructive ability of ethanol that it is actively used in experimental laboratories as an ulcerogenic agent to artificially produce a model of stomach and duodenal ulcers in animals.
It is also interesting that an untreated duodenal ulcer has every chance of becoming the basis for oncological formation in the organ. Drinking alcohol while sick only further increases this risk. French scientists have discovered that among their fellow citizens, cancer due to peptic ulcer disease is diagnosed 20 times more often in people who abuse alcohol.
When can you drink alcohol?
There is a common misconception among patients with duodenal ulcers that alcohol is contraindicated in their illness only during an exacerbation. But that's not true. Alcohol in the chronic form of the disease or in remission is just as unsafe as in the acute period. After all, chemical reactions inside the digestive system proceed the same way, regardless of the form of the disease. Even minimal amounts of alcohol can irritate the walls of the duodenum and provoke another exacerbation. Systematic consumption of any type of alcohol can even cause rapid progression of the disease with the formation of perforation in the inflamed intestine.
For some “clever people,” the argument in favor of the fact that alcohol is not prohibited for ulcers is provided by medications in the form of alcohol drops used to treat the disease. But at the same time, for some reason these people do not pay attention to the fact that the dosage of such drugs is reduced to a few drops, which, moreover, are usually taken with water. Which, of course, cannot be said about “drinking in the name of health.”
Here we cannot fail to mention a very common folk recipe against duodenal ulcers. “Healers” suggest that the patient drink 50 ml of vodka and one raw egg every day on an empty stomach. Some even claim that this remedy actually relieves stomach pain. In reality, there is a temporary “freezing” of pain (alcohol dulls sensations) against the background of the rapid growth of ulcerative formations on the walls of the organ.
A duodenal ulcer is often accompanied by a lack of appetite. In such cases, again, there are traditional “healers” who advise drinking “50 grams” before meals for appetite, and do a disservice to the patient. After such methods of improving appetite, it is quite possible to end up in a hospital bed with severe intra-abdominal bleeding.
As for beer, although this drink is less aggressive than vodka, it is strictly prohibited for ulcerative formations in the duodenum. The bacteria contained in the drink cause fermentation processes in the diseased organ, which contribute to inflammation, flatulence, erosion, increased acidity and destruction of the fragile mucous membrane. By the way, even after complete healing (scarring) of the ulcer, beer also remains strictly prohibited, as it can cause a relapse of the disease.
After the ulcers heal with scars, many people have a question: “Can I drink alcohol now?” According to gastroenterologists, the ideal option is if a person, even after scarring of the ulcer, does not drink alcohol. But if the patient is not ready to give up alcohol forever, then doctors do not rule out the possibility of drinking one glass of vodka or cognac, but only in exceptional cases and when feeling well. If, after drinking alcohol, a person with an ulcer begins to experience characteristic pain, it is necessary to immediately rinse the stomach, drink a sorbent, and after a few hours, take the antiulcer medicine prescribed by the doctor.
Alcohol and duodenal ulcers are a dangerous combination. If you ignore the SOS signals sent by the body, the results of the disease can be disastrous. If it so happens that an ulcer has formed in the duodenum, then the patient has the power to prevent its growth.
Is it possible to drink vodka if you have a stomach ulcer?
Despite the fact that many ulcer sufferers avoid drinking strong alcoholic drinks, preferring lighter intoxicants, vodka will do much less harm for ulcers than gin and tonic, liqueur or wine. However, this statement is true only if the following rules are observed:
- drinking vodka is allowed in rare cases and in limited quantities, regardless of the stage of the disease;
- It is advisable to drink vodka in summer and winter - more relapses of the disease are diagnosed in autumn and spring;
- You should drink vodka after a heavy lunch or dinner - the food will protect the gastric mucosa from the aggressive effects of ethanol.
