Tam Anh General Hospital said that recently it has continuously received many pediatric patients for examination and detected stomach ulcers.
For example, in the case of baby Trung (character name has been changed, 10 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) who often has faint abdominal pain, diarrhea, acid reflux that lasts for a month but is not treated, when going for a health check-up, stomach ulcers were detected.
The family said that the pain often appears when the baby is hungry or immediately after eating, with a lot of pain at night, so they think the abdomen is weak. When going for a health check-up at Tam Anh General Clinic District 7, MSc.BS.CKI Hap Tien Loc - Department of Pediatrics said that when pressing on the area above the navel, the baby complained of pain and had an uncomfortable reaction, so they suspected the disease. In 10-year-old children, stomach pain is usually not intense and continuous but faint, easily confused with common digestive disorders, or abdominal pain due to psychology, causing the disease to progress from mild inflammation to deep ulcers, causing complications of anemia and weight loss.
Blood test results showed that the number of red blood cells decreased, warning that there was an inflammatory site in the stomach causing bleeding, leading to anemia. The doctor prescribed endoscopy, detecting stomach ulcers. The patient was injected with medicine to help reduce stomach acid and the ulcers heal quickly, stop bleeding and reduce pain. Then, continue to switch to medication to maintain stable stomach pH, helping the mucous membrane heal itself.
During the time of taking medicine, babies need to eat soft, easily digestible, well-cooked foods. Eat many small meals during the day and supplement with green vegetables and starch to absorb gastric juice.
Patients should avoid eating oranges, lemons, sour mangoes, pickled vegetables, spicy and hot foods, fried with a lot of grease, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate,... which can increase ulcerative inflammation. After the medicine dose is over, re-examination and endoscopy are needed to make sure the ulcer is healed and scarred and there are no abnormal cell changes.
Stomach ulcers are conditions where the stomach lining is damaged, inflamed and forms ulcers due to the protective mucous membrane being eroded, causing stomach acid to erode the underlying tissue. The disease is often caused by H. pylori (HP) bacteria or overdose of anti-inflammatory, pain relievers, fever-reducing drugs (NSAIDs). Children eating too much sour and spicy food, eating at the wrong time, eating while watching TV... are factors that make the disease worse.
Typical symptoms are pain and burning in the navel area (high abdomen), subtle pain, burning, sometimes severe pain, nausea or vomiting, heartburn, acid reflux, bloating, indigestion, loss of appetite, weight loss, black stools,...
Based on abnormal indicators in blood tests, doctors can suspect the condition of ulcers, assess the severity and rule out other diseases that cause abdominal pain or help suggest underlying pathologies. The examination package also assesses nutrition, children with stomach ulcers often have abdominal pain, vomiting, leading to anorexia, poor absorption. This indicator reduces the signal that children are malnourished, depleted due to prolonged digestive diseases.
In young children, the diseases often manifest vaguely, the description of the signs of the disease is still limited or inaccurate, easily misdiagnosed. Regular health check-ups help detect stomach ulcers and underlying diseases before symptoms appear," Dr. Loc added.
