Up until the late 20th century ulcers were thought to be

Last updated: 5/10/2023

Up until the late 20th century ulcers were thought to be caused by excess stomach acid a hypothesis that was supported by the observation that histamine receptor antagonists such as Tagamet which reduce stomach acid reduce or eliminate ul er symptoms Dr Robin Warren a pathologist at the Royal Perth Hospital in Australia wanted to test the hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori bacteria cause ulcers so he drank a flask of the bacteria waited 10 days and then gave himself a stomach biopsy The stomach biopsy was positive for gastric ulcer What could he conclude from this result O Helicobacter pylori could have caused Dr Warren to get an ulcer Helicobacter pylori causes ulcers Excess stomach acid does not cause ulcers Helicobacter pylori infection is correlated with ulcers