Also called: Duodenal ulcer · Gastric ulcer · Stomach ulcer · Ulcer
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Peptic Ulcer
A peptic ulcer is a sore in the lining of your stomach or your duodenum, the first part of your small intestine. A burning stomach pain is the most common symptom. The pain:
- Starts between meals or during the night
- Briefly stops if you eat or take antacids
- Lasts for minutes to hours
- Comes and goes for several days or weeks
Peptic ulcers happen when the acids that help you digest food damage the walls of the stomach or duodenum. The most common cause is infection with a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori. Another cause is the long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Stress and spicy foods do not cause ulcers, but can make them worse.
To see if you have an H. pylori infection, your doctor will test your blood, breath, or stool. Your doctor also may look inside your stomach and duodenum by doing an endoscopy or x-ray.
Peptic ulcers will get worse if not treated. Treatment may include medicines to reduce stomach acids or antibiotics to kill H. pylori. Antacids and milk can't heal peptic ulcers. Not smoking and avoiding alcohol can help. You may need surgery if your ulcers don't heal.
It sits within Digestive System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Peptic Ulcer
439 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Phase 3 to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of DWP14012 in Patients With Gastric UlcerDaewoong Pharmaceutical Co. LTD.
- Tegoprazan Versus Lansoprazole for Endoscopic Ulcer Healing in Bleeding Peptic UlcersIndonesia University
- Potassium-Competitive Acid Blocker Versus pROton-Pump Inhibitor for GastroproTECTion Strategies In Patients at High Gastro-Intestinal Bleeding Risk Receiving Antithrombotic TherapyDuk-Woo Park, MD
- Marginal Ulcer Healing With Low-Thermal Argon Plasma Endoscopic TreatmentChristopher C. Thompson, MD, MSc
- Randomized Trial of UI-EWD vs. Conventional Endoscopic Therapy for Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal BleedingMedtronic - MITG
- The Bioavailability and Effect on Pouch pH of Esomeprazole After Gastric BypassProf Urs Zingg
Research already completed
- Evaluating Pancreatic Tumors in Patients With Zollinger-Ellison SyndromeNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in the Intensive Care UnitDr. Morten Hylander Møller
- Pharmacist-Driven Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis Minimization in the Intensive Care UnitMethodist Health System
- FundoRing Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Versus FundoRing One Anastomosis Gastric BypassThe Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgeons of Kazakhstan
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Definition & Facts for Peptic Ulcers (Stomach or Duodenal Ulcers)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Peptic Ulcer DiseaseAmerican College of Gastroenterology
- Peptic Ulcer DiseaseAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- UlcersAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
Symptoms
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
- Symptoms and Causes of Peptic Ulcer DiseaseNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Diagnosis and Tests
- Barium SwallowNational Library of Medicine
- Diagnosis of Peptic Ulcers (Stomach or Duodenal Ulcers)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)National Library of Medicine
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) TestsNational Library of Medicine
- Upper GI EndoscopyNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Upper GI SeriesNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Treatments and Therapies
- Treatment for Peptic Ulcers (Stomach Ulcers)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Related Issues
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and CancerNational Cancer Institute
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Duodenal UlcerNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Peptic UlcerNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Stomach UlcerNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Peptic Ulcer. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Peptic Ulcer, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.