Gastrointestinal Question

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Hi all, I need help clarifying something. I would like to know how to differentiate bt/wn a peptic ulcer and a gastric ulcer. I am getting the same definition when I look them up, which is "an erosion of the mucosal lining of the stomach". Are they the exact same thing or is one more in depth than the other? Any help appreciated!

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

According to my Med-Surg book (Ignatavicius, 2007, pp. 1287-1288), peptic ulcer is a general term which describes both gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers.

You can't differentiate between a peptic ulcer and a gastric ulcer because a gastric ulcer IS a peptic ulcer. So is a duodenal ulcer.

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ok ty so much!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

from http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec02/ch013/ch013e.html?qt=gastric%20ulcer&alt=sh:

"a peptic ulcer is an erosion in a segment of the gi mucosa, typically in the stomach (gastric ulcer) or the first few centimeters of the duodenum (duodenal ulcer), that penetrates through the muscularis mucosae. nearly all ulcers are caused by
helicobacter pylori
infection or nsaid use. symptoms typically include burning epigastric pain that is often relieved by food. diagnosis is by endoscopy and testing for
h. pylori
. treatment involves acid suppression, eradication of h. pylori (if present), and avoidance of nsaids.

ulcers may range in size from several millimeters to several centimeters. ulcers are delineated from erosions by the depth of penetration; erosions are more superficial and do not involve the muscularis mucosae."

you can use the weblinks on this sticky thread, as i did, to find this kind of information:

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Specializes in Critcal Care.

a gastric ulcer is a TYPE of peptic ulcer

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