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Article: A fire in your stomach. (peptic ulcer)
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- November 1, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As Tom sat in class the period before lunch, he began to feel a familiar burning sensation in his stomach. It was uncomfortable but not unbearable. Tom had felt it before and thought it was hunger pains. But it wasn't.
On some days, Tom's pain lasted a few minutes. But other times, the feeling continued for several hours or unitl he had something to eat. A pain in the upper abdomen that is eased by eating is usually the first symptom of a peptic ulcer.
Peptic ulcers are sores on the mucous lining of the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum caused by the destruction of surface cells. Ulcers are a common disorder. One out of every eight Americans will ...