The discovery process of the primary cause of stomach ulcers

What can we learn from the discovery process of the primary cause of stomach ulcers?

Stomach ulcers have been a long-standing medical problem, and for many years, it was believed that spicy food and excessive stomach acid were the primary cause of stomach ulcers. This belief guided treatments for decades, focusing on dietary restrictions, antacids, and even surgery.

In the 1970s, searching for new treatments led to the development of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like omeprazole (Losec). As a child growing up in Sweden in the 80s, I remember hearing stories about the financial success of Astra, the manufacturer of Losec, and it being one of the most sold pharmaceuticals in the world.

Meanwhile, Australian doctor and pathologist Robin Warren had been doing biopsies on healthy stomachs with symptoms of gastritis and discovered a strong relation between stomach ulcers and infection. Together with his colleague and clinician Barry Marshall, the team were able to isolate the newly discovered bacteria Helicobacter pylori and grow it in the lab.

To further demonstrate the link between the newly discovered bacteria and the stomach ulcers, Marshall took matters into his own hands, treated a patient with antibiotics, and confirmed that the infection was gone. To further strengthen the casualty, in 1984, he drank the cultivated cloudy solution obtained from an infected patient, which made him sick for several days. Two weeks days later, he confirmed that an ulcer had developed. Using antibiotics, he was later able to cure himself of the condition.

The two doctors had published research in the 80s, but it took them ten years to convince the medical society that they had made a significant medical discovery, addressing the root cause rather than just treating the symptoms.

As their results gained recognition, the tide turned, leading to them being awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in Physiology or Medicine in 2005.

The story highlights several important aspects of how the answers to medical science questions have changed over time concerning What is the cause of stomach ulcers? which also clearly relates to What is the best treatment for stomach ulcers and the discoveries by two Australian doctors improved the life quality for millions of people and the paradigm shift from treating the symptom to treating the cause.

What should we learn from the story above?

Science is an iterative process whereby discoveries can challenge prevailing beliefs. What was considered the prevailing science at the time, i.e., stomach ulcers were caused by lifestyle, and the best treatment was using medicines for the symptoms rather than antibiotics, was wrong.

It is helpful to put into perspective statements that science is settled, consensus, etc., concerning climate warming, COVID-19, etc..., but that doesn't mean it is true.

The answers to questions can and do change. Changing the answers from two Australian doctors to an accepted truth can take a long time, in this case, more than a decade.