A nursing officer at the Sampa Government Hospital in the Jaman North District of the Bono region has disclosed that Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD), a condition in which painful sores or ulcers develop in the lining of the stomach or the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum), is on the rise in the district.
Speaking in an interview with Kwaku Mensah Abrampa on a program dubbed “You and Your Health” on Gye Nyame FM, Madam Abigail Soboe indicated that a thick layer of mucus protects the stomach lining from the effects of its digestive juices.
However, according to her, many things can reduce this protective layer, thereby allowing stomach acid to damage the tissue, causing Peptic Ulcer Disease.
She explained that many cases of peptic ulcer disease develop because of microorganisms and bacterial infections that eat away the protective lining of the digestive system.
Madam Soboe revealed further that people who frequently take pain relievers are more likely to develop the infection, adding that pain relievers are part of a group of drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are generally used to relieve pain. NSAIDs, she noted, can wear away at the mucus layer in the digestive tract, resulting in peptic ulcers.
She advised the general public to desist from the constant intake of NSAIDs (or pain relief drugs) and smoking, and recommended regular medical check-ups rather than self-medication, which poses various health risks.
