Gastrointestinal System - Gastritis and Peptic Ulcer Disease
Recommendations and Evidence
Peptic ulcer disease (PUD), which may refer to either gastric or duodenal ulcer, is a common disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract (1). The normal stomach maintains a balance between the protective factors (i.e. mucus and bicarbonate secretion, blood flow) and aggressive factors (i.e. acid secretion, pepsin). Ulcers develop when aggressive factors overcome the protective mechanism causing inflammatory injuries in either the gastric or upper duodenal mucosa, with extension into the