"If you kids don't stop yelling, you'll give me an ulcer!"
"Don't worry so much. You'll give yourself an ulcer." Have you
ever heard people talk like this about ulcers? It sounds like
ulcers are easy to give and easy to get. It also sounds like
stress — too much worrying about stuff — is to blame. But is
that the real story? Let's find out. What Is an Ulcer? An ulcer
(say: ul-sur) is a sore, which means an open, painful wound.
When people talk about ulcers, though, they usually mean peptic
ulcers. These form in the stomach or the upper part of the small
intestine, called the duodenum (say: doo-uh-dee-num). They cause
sharp or burning stomach pain. This pain often comes a few hours
after eating. It can also happen during the night or early in
the morning, when the stomach is empty. Eating something usually
makes the pain go away. Kids don't usually get peptic ulcers,
but they're common in adults. Doctors say that in the United
States, 1 in every 10 people will eventually get an ulcer. What
Causes Ulcers? For a