As stated by the Center for Disease control “25 million Americans suffer from peptic ulcer disease at some point in their lifetime. Each year there are 500,000 to 850,000 new cases of peptic ulcer disease and more than one million ulcer related hospitalizations.”
There are many different people that peptic ulcers affect and the pain and symptoms can also be different from person to person. Depending on the individual they may experience no pain while some experience mild, moderate to severe pain. As stated by the American Gastroenterological Association “the most common symptom of an ulcer is a burning pain in your stomach between your breastbone and belly button.” Another term that may be used to identify the pain is “gnawing”( ) meaning ________. Pain caused by peptic ulcers can occur at any given time but will be most obvious in times when the stomach is empty. These pains can range in time from minutes to hours from days to weeks and sometimes even last months. Some other symptoms that may occur may be bloody or tarry stools, nausea with or without vomiting, fatigue, and weight loss due to decreased appetite, bloating and