Anti-ulcer drugs Flashcards
What drugs are involved with treating ulcers/what is the triple therapy?
Triple therapy:
Antibiotics
Inhibitors of gastric acid secretion
Cytoprotective drugs
Antacids
What is a peptic ulcer?
An area of damage to inner lining of stomach (gastric ulcer) or upper part of duodenum (duodenal ulcer)
How can gastric and duodenal ulcers be distinguished?
Timing of symptoms
Gastric- pain at meal times when gastric acid is secreted
Duodenal- pain relieved by a meal as the pyloric sphincter closes- pain 2-3 hours after a meal
What is the prevalence of duodenal and gastric like in comparison to each other?
Duodenal:gastric 4:1
What are ulcers caused by?
Imbalance of factors that protect or damage gastrointestinal barrier
What is the integrity of gastrointestinal mucosal barrier important for?
Maintaining disease free state
What do protective factors do?
Lubricate ingested food and prevent stomach and duodenum from attack by acid and enzymes
What does mucous from gastric mucosa do?
Creates GI mucosal barrier
What do bicarbonate ions trapped in mucous generate?
pH of 6-7 at mucosal surface
Thickening of mucous
What do prostaglandins stimulate in GI tract?
Bicarbonate and mucous production and inhibits gastric acid secretion
What do prostaglandins facilitate?
A good blood supply to the stomach to allow production of a healthy amount of mucous and allow sufficient bicarbonate production
Which factors required for conversion of food into chyme have the potential to damage the mucosal barrier?
Acid secretion from parietal cells of the oxyntic glands in the gastric mucosa
Pepsinogens from the gastric chief cells which can erode the mucous layer
What factors can cause damage to mucosal gastrointestinal barrier?
Increased acid and/or decreased bicarbonate production Decreased thickness of mucosal layer Increase in pepsin type I Decreased mucosal blood flow Infections with H pylori
What risk factors for ulcers are there?
Genetic predisposition
Stress
Diet, alcohol and smoking
What is the prevalence of ulcers in developed countries?
1 in 10
What are the aims of treatment for ulcers?
Eliminate the cause of mucosal damage
Promote ulcer healing
What drugs are there for stomach ulcers?
Antibiotics- Eradicate H pylori Inhibitors of gastric acid secretion- Prevent gastric acid production Cytoprotective drugs- Promote healing Antacids- Neutralise gastric acid Triple therapy
What is the aim of the use of antibiotics in ulcer treatment?
Eliminate helicobacter pylori which infects a lot of people in the population
What is the simple way of testing for helicobacter pylori?
Ask the subject to swallow a urate mixture that has a unique carbon isotope in its make up.
The bacteria produces an enzyme that breaks down the urate and carbon dioxide will then be formed using the unique carbon isotope from the urate
A breath test is performed on the patient 20-30 mins after giving the urate mixture and if the carbon dioxide that they breathe out is contaminated with with the isotope then that confirms there must be a high concentration of helicobacter in the patient.
What is the aim of antibiotic treatment for helicobacter?
90% eradication within 7-14 days
What is currently the best practice for treating peptic ulcer disease?
Triple therapy:
Antibiotics
Drugs that reduce gastric acid secretion
Drugs that promote healing
Why are several antibiotics used in treatment?
A single antibiotic is not usually effective due to the development of resistance
What triggers acid production in the stomach?
Presence of food in the stomach or even smell or thought of food can trigger acid production in the stomach
What is found in the fundus of the stomach and what does it produce?
Parietal cells that are secreting HCl into the stomach- this helps digest the food
What effect does parasympathetic stimulation have in GI tract?
It can act on H cells via vagus nerve to stimulate histamine production
What effect does histamine have in GI tract?
It stimulates parietal cells to produce more acid
When food is broken down, amino acids are formed, what do they stimulate?
Triggers G cells in the antrum of the stomach to secrete gastrin
What does gastrin do?
Triggers release of more histamine from the H cells which leads to more acid production by the parietal cells
Also directly triggers acid production by parietal cells
In the duodenum, what is there that regulates gastric acid production?
Secretin and GIP (gastric-inhibitory peptide) that acts on the fundus of the stomach and inhibits formation of gastric acid