Guest of "Sans Rendez-vous", doctor Jean-Jacques Raynaud, gastroenterologist at the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny takes stock of digestive ulcers, known as "gastroduodenal".

These "holes" in the stomach or the first part of the small intestine can cause bleeding. 

It is such a popular medical term that it has entered everyday language: ulcer.

In "Sans Rendez-vous" Thursday, Doctor Jean-Jacques Raynaud, gastroenterologist at the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny, in the Paris region, takes stock of the peptic ulcer, this "kind of hole causing loss of substance [of gastric juice,

note

] which can go as far as perforating the organ on which it is formed and creating a hemorrhage ".

A pathology that can affect both the stomach and the first part of the small intestine, and which concerns about 0.2% of the French adult population according to

ameli.fr

.

Three main causes at the origin of a peptic ulcer

There are "three main causes" that cause a peptic ulcer, according to the specialist.

In about a third of cases, "it is due to gastrotoxic drugs", that is to say, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin.

The ulcer is then said to be medicated.

But in the majority of cases, "40%" details Jean-Jacques Raynaud, it is Helicobacter pylori which is at the origin of this pathology.

This bacteria allows the formation of inflammation which can turn into an ulcer.

It "is caught in childhood, often between 0 and 5 years old, orally", and can become a stowaway in our body for life.

But getting Helicobacter pylori doesn't have to mean an ulcer.

According to

ameli.fr

, "15% to 30% of the population is a carrier of the germ and 10% of infected people develop an ulcer".

For the rest of the cases of ulcers, Jean-Jacques Raynaud kicks in on their origins.

"We don't know, we search but we can't find."

Nevertheless, the Health Insurance website puts forward a few avenues such as smoking, alcohol, coffee, tea, cardiovascular disease or even certain genetic predispositions. 

>> Find all of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here

Symptoms not always easy to identify ... 

In addition to the classic symptoms of an ulcer, such as a recurring burning sensation, belching, even cramping or painful hunger, detecting this loss of substance is far from simple.

"In 50% of cases, there are no symptoms and we discover it by chance or when there are complications," says Jean-Jacques Raynaud.

This is why you should not hesitate to go to see your general practitioner if your pain "exceeds a week". 

... and essentially drug treatment

The fact remains that overcoming a peptic ulcer is essentially done by "a proton bomb inhibitor".

A drug which will "cut" the acidity of the stomach and which will allow the healing of the ulcer in "4 to 6 weeks".

A process which also requires stopping smoking if the patient is a smoker, because it prevents scarring.

Then, if the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is at the origin of the disease, the patient is prescribed a specific treatment which will be coupled with some restrictions such as stopping the intake of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

And Doctor Jean-Jacques Raynaud reassured: "it can be treated well."