Perforated ulcer
Encyclopedia
A perforated ulcer, is a very serious condition where an untreated ulcer
can burn through the wall of the stomach
(or other areas of the gastrointestinal tract
), allowing digestive juices and food to leech into the abdominal cavity
. Treatment generally requires immediate surgery. The ulcer is known initially as a peptic ulcer
before the ulcer burns through the full thickness of the stomach or duodenal wall. A diagnosis is made by taking an X-ray
of the stomach area (seeking air under the diaphragm). This is in fact one of the very few occasions in modern time where surgery is undertaken to treat an ulcer. Many of the perforated ulcers have been attributed to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori
. The incidence of perforated ulcer is steadily declining, though there are still incidents where it occurs. Causes include smoking
and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
s (NSAIDs). A perforated ulcer can be grouped into a Stercoral perforation
which involves a number of different things that causes perforation of the intestine
wall.
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
can burn through the wall of the stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
(or other areas of the gastrointestinal tract
Gastrointestinal tract
The human gastrointestinal tract refers to the stomach and intestine, and sometimes to all the structures from the mouth to the anus. ....
), allowing digestive juices and food to leech into the abdominal cavity
Abdominal cavity
The abdominal cavity is the body cavity of the human body that holds the bulk of the viscera. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roof is the thoracic diaphragm , and its oblique floor is the pelvic inlet...
. Treatment generally requires immediate surgery. The ulcer is known initially as a peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
before the ulcer burns through the full thickness of the stomach or duodenal wall. A diagnosis is made by taking an X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
of the stomach area (seeking air under the diaphragm). This is in fact one of the very few occasions in modern time where surgery is undertaken to treat an ulcer. Many of the perforated ulcers have been attributed to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori , previously named Campylobacter pyloridis, is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium found in the stomach. It was identified in 1982 by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, who found that it was present in patients with chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, conditions that were...
. The incidence of perforated ulcer is steadily declining, though there are still incidents where it occurs. Causes include smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, usually abbreviated to NSAIDs or NAIDs, but also referred to as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents/analgesics or nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory medicines , are drugs with analgesic and antipyretic effects and which have, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory...
s (NSAIDs). A perforated ulcer can be grouped into a Stercoral perforation
Stercoral perforation
Stercoral perforation is the perforation or rupture of the intestine's walls by its internal contents, such as foreign objects, or, more commonly, by hardened feces which may form in long constipations or other diseases which cause obstruction of transit, such as Chagas disease, Hirschprung's...
which involves a number of different things that causes perforation of the intestine
Intestine
In human anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the pyloric sphincter of the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine...
wall.
Notable victims
- Rudolph ValentinoRudolph ValentinoRudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
(1895–1926, aged 31) suffered from a perforated ulcer and died on August 23, 1926. - Rudyard KiplingRudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
(1865–1936) died of perforated duodenal ulcer on 18 January 1936. - J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
(1892–1973, aged 81) suffered from a perforated ulcer and died on September 2, 1973. - Albert BlitheAlbert Blithe-External links:****...
(1923–1967, aged 44) suffered from a perforated ulcer and died on December 17, 1967. - Philip AgeePhilip AgeePhilip Burnett Franklin Agee was a Central Intelligence Agency case officer and writer, best known as author of the 1975 book, Inside the Company: CIA Diary, detailing his experiences in the CIA. Agee joined the CIA in 1957, and over the following decade had postings in Washington, D.C., Ecuador,...
(1935–2008, aged 72) suffered from a perforated ulcer and died on January 7, 2008. - James JoyceJames JoyceJames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
(1882–1941, aged 58) suffered from a perforated ulcer and died on January 13, 1941, in Zürich. - Doug HepburnDoug HepburnDoug Ivan Hepburn was a Canadian world-champion weightlifter.Born in Vancouver with a club foot and cross-eyed, Hepburn overcame these handicaps, setting a Canadian record for weightlifting in 1950 and winning gold medals at the 1953 world championships in Stockholm and the 1954 British Empire and...
(1926–2000, aged 74) suffered from a perforated ulcer and died on November 22, 2000. - Charlie ParkerCharlie ParkerCharles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
(1920–1955, aged 35) suffered from a perforated ulcer, and died on March 12, 1955. - Ichiro SuzukiIchiro Suzuki, usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...
, the baseball player, was diagnosed in 2009 with a bleeding ulcer, placing him on the disabled list for the first time in his career. - Barbara BushBarbara BushBarbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
(born 1925) was treated for a perforated ulcer in November of 2008. - Peter JacksonPeter JacksonSir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
(born 1961) underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer in January of 2011. - Richard PankhurstRichard PankhurstRichard Marsden Pankhurst was an English barrister and supporter of women's rights.Pankhurst was the son of Henry Francis Pankhurst and Margaret Marsden . He was born in Stoke but spent most of his life in Manchester and London. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Owens College of...
(1834-1897) Suffered and died from a perforated ulcer 1897. - Thomas PrestonThomas Preston (scientist)Thomas Preston was an Irish scientist whose research was concerned with heat, magnetism, and spectroscopy. He established empirical rules for the analysis of spectral lines, which remain associated with his name...
(1860-1900) Suffered and died from a perforated ulcer 1900.
Further reading
- http://healthgate.partners.org/browsing/browseContent.asp?fileName=11628.xml&title=Peptic%20Ulcer