Catherine A., 12

Catherine would like to be a medical doctor when she grows up, and is taking her studies seriously to work towards that. When not in school, she is helping her mother with the house chores or reading novels. She also likes spending time with her friends, when she is in school and also when out of school. Her mother, a single mother, is not employed and most of the time relies on help from the well wishers which is not enough to cater for her financial needs. Catherine has been having on and off abdominal pain for the past 5 days. She reports that the pain is burning in sensation but also crampy. Her condition has been worsening by the day. The pain was initially generalized, over the whole abdomen but is currently worse at the epigastric region.

Catherine began experiencing abdominal pain, vomiting, headaches, general body weakness, and fever. She was taken to the hospital, where doctors conducted tests and diagnosed her with peptic ulcer disease caused by H. pylori infection. She had vomited alot and was quite dehydrated by the time she was brought to the hospital. Her treatment included intravenous fluids for hydration, antibiotics, antiemetics to control vomiting, and antacids to manage stomach acid. She was closely monitored in the hospital for three days before being discharged to continue her medication at home. A follow up phone call confirmed that she was doing well, the abdominal pain had ceased and she was no longer vomiting.

Can be life threatening especially when the ulcers start bleeding, but when treatment is initiated early enough the outcome is usually good