Aphthous ulcer is also known as stomatitis. These are painful, healing wounds that can appear anywhere in the mouth. They appear one at a time or in groups. Although they are not considered a serious disease, they are nevertheless capable of causing considerable discomfort.
A photo of an aphthous ulcer is shown below.
About pathology
Aphthous stomatitis is a lesion of the oral mucosa, which is characterized by the formation of multiple sores (aphtha), located one by one or formed into groups. Most often, aphthae are localized on the inside of the lips, cheeks, on the front side of the oral cavity. The defeat occurs under the influence of staphylococci, adenovirus, measles, chronic diseases of the stomach, intestines.
It becomes painful to drink, eat, urgent help is required. The acute form disappears in 2 weeks, in rare cases small scars remain. During the transition to the chronic form, the mucous membrane swells, turns pale, the size of the lesions increases, the plaque has a dirty gray color.
This disease isone of the fairly common inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, which, according to various sources, affects from ten to forty percent of children and adults of various ages. A characteristic symptom of this type of stomatitis is the presence of aphthae on the mucous membrane, that is, ulcerative defects. These painful sores that heal over time can occur anywhere in the mouth. Ulcers are single or, conversely, multiple.
Acute stomatitis
Isolate acute stomatitis. In this case, inflammation of the oral mucosa is observed, against which its surface layer suffers and tissue erosion is formed. The occurrence of aphthae is usually accompanied by burning and sharp pain sensations that increase during meals, an increase in lymph nodes is not excluded, and in some situations there is an increased temperature. Aphthous ulcers heal completely in ten days in humans.
Chronic form
Chronic stomatitis is formed in the presence of weak general and local immunity, as well as in the presence of various systemic pathologies, in which it often becomes chronic and occurs from time to time. A characteristic manifestation of an exacerbation is the formation of ulcers with a white or yellow coating along with mucosal edema. The disease is sluggish, and the symptoms periodically appear and disappear.
Photo of aphthous mouth ulcers is presented above.
Reasons
The causes of stomatitis are still unknown. There is a fairly common misconception that the disease is one of the forms of herpes. Unlike thispathology, aphthous ulcers cannot be transmitted from one person to another. Scientists believe that it develops as a result of reactions of the immune system. Usually stomatitis is found predominantly in women than in men. The disease usually develops between the ages of ten and forty. Here are the reasons that can contribute to the occurrence of mouth ulcers:
- Stress or injury, such as biting the tongue.
- Influence of certain foods (especially acidic foods such as pineapples and tomatoes).
- Having a family illness.
- Changes in hormone levels.
Risk factors
The reasons that provoke the development of oral aphthous ulcers are as follows:
- Presence of deficiency of iron, folic acid and vitamin B12.
- Presence of bacterial infections such as stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter.
- Some inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease along with ulcerative colitis.
- Infection of the body with the AIDS virus.
- Behçet's disease.
Symptomatics
The following manifestations can be caused not only by stomatitis. Ulcers in the oral cavity, similar to it, can be provoked by other, more dangerous diseases. Aphthous ulcers have different sizes. They usually form on the inner surface of the lips and cheeks, as well as on the tongue or in the region of the palate. As a rule, we are talking about open, small grayish and slightly swollen wounds,surrounded by a yellowish, white or red border.
The most painful stage
Some patients get aphthous stomatitis up to three times a year. For the rest, these ulcers do occur all the time. Usually the first three or four days are considered the most painful stage, and then they begin to heal on their own. Small formations are the most common form. They are less than one centimeter in diameter and clear up in seven to fourteen days, and usually heal without scarring. As for large ulcers, they are one centimeter or more in diameter and may not heal for several weeks, or even months. After the formations come off, scars remain.
How to treat aphthous ulcers is of interest to many. Next, we will talk about diagnostics.
Diagnosis
The doctor usually asks about symptoms and takes a medical history, performing a physical examination, which is the main way to distinguish an aphthous mass from other, more serious diseases of the oral cavity. In some cases, specialists take a small sample for microscopic examination of the tissue (that is, they do a biopsy) or order a culture to grow with a blood test. Diagnosis is especially important for the study of formations that do not heal for two weeks or more. They may be a sign of cancer.
Treatment
Many wonder if an aphthous ulcer will heal on its own.
Such formations usually disappear on their own within one to two weeks. Treatment is not required. However, treatment options, especially for painful ulcers, include the following:
- Taking oral pain relievers, mouthwashes or gels. Preparations such as, for example, Lidocaine, along with Amlexanox, Dimedrol for rinsing and Maalox, can be used every three hours or immediately before meals. This provides short-term relief of pain caused by aphthous stomatitis. In addition, such gels can be applied to the ulcers themselves four times a day in order to anesthetize the mouth and relieve pain. What else is used in the treatment of aphthous ulcer?
- Rinse your mouth with antibiotics. For multiple formations, a liquid form of tetracycline can be used. Rinse produced four times within ten days. Fluid helps heal ulcers by preventing new ones from forming. Sometimes, as a side effect, this treatment can lead to an infection called candidiasis. Treatment of aphthous ulcers in the mouth should be comprehensive and timely.
- Taking corticosteroids. For severe lesions of small or large ulcers, steroids may be given, usually in the form of liquids intended to be rinsed after meals and at bedtime. Steroids reduce inflammation caused by large ulcers.
Prophylaxis
The appearance of this disease is not always preventable. In order to reduce the likelihood of ulcers, it is necessary to takenext steps:
- Chew food carefully to avoid biting the tongue or cheek, which can irritate the mouth and lead to this pathology.
- If you have hypersensitivity, you should avoid any acidic foods like tomato or pineapple, which can contribute to the formation of formations.
- If you don't get enough iron, plus vitamin B12 and folic acid in your diet, ask your doctor about how to get the right amount of these nutrients. This will certainly help to avoid the formation of aphthous ulcers of the oral cavity. But it is worth paying attention to the fact that taking these nutrients in patients who are not deficient in them will not prevent stomatitis.
Aphthous intestinal ulcers
Ulcers can also occur in this organ. They usually form in the duodenum. The main reasons for the appearance of these include the genetic factor, along with exposure to the microorganism Helicobacter pylori, decreased immunity, increased acidity of gastric juice, duodenitis, malnutrition, stress, burns, injuries and blood loss, as well as taking certain drugs.
Signs
During an exacerbation, the patient may experience the following symptoms:
- The appearance of severe pain in the epigastric region or in the area above the navel.
- Characteristic is the appearance of discomfort mainly on an empty stomach, and also at night, which occurs due to an increase in concentration inhydrochloric acid in the stomach. Usually the pain is relieved by eating.
- Unpleasant sensations give under the shoulder blades, in the region of the heart and back.
- Heartburn is typical along with belching, bloating, nausea, vomiting, constipation, irritability, sleep disturbance, weight loss (even though the patient has a good appetite).
With non-drug treatment, the patient needs to eat rationally. It is necessary to eat vegetables and fruits, as well as greens, and completely exclude fried, spicy and canned foods. As a rule, diet No. 5 is recommended, steamed and boiled food, in semi-liquid form. You need to eat often, in five doses in small portions, excluding alcohol.
In the process of drug therapy, drugs are prescribed that reduce the acidity of gastric juice. Antisecretory drugs can also be prescribed, and if Helicobacter pylori is detected, antibacterial drugs are used. In some situations, against the background of the development of complications, surgical treatment may be necessary.
As part of prevention, attention should be paid to the nature of nutrition, it should be balanced and complete, it is important to consume foods that are high in fiber, refusing spicy, fatty and fried foods. Any bowel disease should be treated in a timely manner.
Aphthous stomach ulcers
About an ulcer in the stomach they say when a deep defect forms on the inner membrane of this organ,exciting mucous, muscle tissues. Pathology can spread to the entire thickness of the wall. Such an ulcer can form in any part of the organ. Factors that lead to illness:
- Influence of severe stress.
- The appearance of depression.
- Abuse of drugs or their use in large quantities (we are talking about glucocorticosteroids, antacids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, cytostatics, antihypertensives).
- Immunodeficiency state (AIDS along with immunosuppressive drugs).
- Influence of improper diet or eating habits (eating too hot or too cold food combined with irregular meals).
- Influence of hereditary factors.
- Presence of severe somatic diseases (in the form of tuberculosis, hepatitis, diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, Crohn's disease).
- Injury to the stomach.
- The action of any other organs on the stomach.
The main symptom of a stomach ulcer is pain, which is sharp or may also be relatively mild. The occurrence of uncomfortable sensations, as a rule, is associated with the intake of products. The time of onset of symptoms depends on the position of the ulcer. In the event that it is located near the esophageal sphincter, then discomfort occurs almost immediately after eating, after thirty minutes.
Therapy
Still recently, the main method of therapy in this case was a surgical operation. True, at present, numerous progressivedrugs, and treatment of the disease is often carried out in a conservative way. Since in most situations the development of pathology occurs in a condition of increased acidity, the basic task for any gastroenterologist is to lower its level to an acceptable value. This function can be performed by antacids along with histamine receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors.
More modern drugs for the treatment of the disease are histamine H2 receptor blockers in combination with inhibitors. For example, "Ranitidine" acts on special cells located in the gastric mucosa, which stimulate the production of acid.
