Stomach Ulcer Stomach ulcers are the cause of severe pain for many people. Doctors have been able to help lessen the pain of ulcers. They could not cure them. Now doctors have discovered a cause of ulcers. This means they may have found a way to cure people who suffer from the stomach pain. Studies show that ten percent of the population will develop an ulcer at some time in their life. So a possible cure is good news for many people. Ulcers are wounds in the stomach that are similar to small cuts or tears. These wounds can harm the tissue in the stomach, the pipe that carries the food to the stomach or parts of the small intestines. Fluids in the stomach then increase the pain of an ulcer. How does a person know he or she has an ulcer? Doctors say most people with ulcers feel a burning pain in their chest or stomach3. This pain often is called heartburn. It usually happens before eating or during the night. It causes some people to lose their desire to eat, or they are unable to keep food in their stomachs. Doctors believed that ulcers were caused by unusually strong stomach fluids, which damaged stomach tissue. Now they have discovered that most ulcers are caused by a bacterial organism called Hillico Bactor Pilorie or H Pilorie. H Pilorie bacteria are what make stomach produce extra stomach fluid. Doctors found that they can kill the bacteria with medicines called antibiotics. Health experts say the discovery of a cure for ulcers can save thousands of millions of dollars in medical costs. They also believe curing ulcers will reduce the number of people who develop, stomach cancer. The number of people with stomach cancer is very high in Japan, Southeast Asia and pans of Africa. Doctors say a person is more likely to get an ulcer if someone in his or her family has had one. In fact a person with the family history of ulcers is three times more likely to get one than other people. There are ways people can protect themselves from developing an ulcer. Doctors say it is more important to reduce the amount of strong fluids in the stomach. To do this, doctors say, people should not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. And they say people should reduce tension in their lives. In the past, doctors couldn't do anything about stomach ulcers.