Going for long periods of time without eating usually makes ulcer pain worse, and eating usually makes it feel better.
Ulcers can also hemorrhage or rupture and become life threatening.
In an endoscopy, the doctor can also take a biopsy and culture of the ulcer to detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori. This organism is a bacteria recently implicated in ulcer disease. Blood and saliva tests are also used to detect H. pylori. For years, therapy for ulcers has been primarily to reduce stomach acidity. Now, however, the treatment of almost all duodenal ulcers and over half of all gastric ulcers includes antibiotics to eradicate H. Pylori.