What Is a Peptic Ulcer?
3. NSAIDs
Another fairly common cause of peptic ulcers are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are often called NSAID’s for short. These are fairly common medications that include painkillers and anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen. These drugs are usually easy to find and can often be purchased without a prescription.
These drugs are a problem because they affect certain enzymes in the body, including enzymes that help to protect the stomach lining against its own acidic juices. The drugs will only cause a peptic ulcer in a small number of cases. It is usually only people that use them in high volumes, or over a long period, that develop ulcers from using them.
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