Bruce Springsteen fans are hoping and dreaming that he will resume his tour soon, following the rocker's announcement that he is being treated for peptic ulcer disease.
The E Street Band postponed eight shows this month because Springsteen was diagnosed with the common and often painful stomach ailment.
Peptic ulcer disease, a wearing away of the stomach lining, can be asymptomatic in some cases, but others are severe enough to make a patient double over in pain, two doctors said.
The fact that Springsteen, one of rock's most renowned live performers, is taking this much time off could be concerning, according to Dr. Lawrence Kosinski, who sits on the American Gastroenterological Association’s governing board.
"That means it's a significant ulcer," he said.
Peptic ulcers are most commonly caused by exposure to a particular type of bacteria or by the regular use of a class of common painkillers, which includes ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen.
"It's not limited to older people, but one of the main causes of ulcer disease in the world is NSAID use — your Motrin, your ibuprofen, all of those drugs that fall into the category of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs," said Dr. Rabia De Latour, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health. "If you have the substrate that's susceptible to developing ulcers, it could take one dose to cause peptic ulcer disease."
Symptoms include stomachache, bloating, heartburn, nausea and black stools.
Doctors often needs to perform an endoscopy to diagnose the condition. Treatment usually involves proton pump inhibitors — Prilosec is a common type of this medication — and sometimes antibiotics. Many patients make a full recovery and can return to work within days.
“It could be really bad because he’s having symptoms, or it bled or it could be perforated,” De Latour said. "Or it could be nothing. When it’s nothing, people don’t even take time off from work.”
Given that stress can worsen the symptoms, it may also be wise to minimize it during treatment, she added.
"He is a very high-earning individual and has a lot of doctors around him. They might say, 'It's impossible for us to say that that stress isn't contributing to it,'" De Latour said.
Springsteen had been scheduled to play Thursday night in Syracuse, New York, then in Baltimore on Saturday.
Two upcoming gigs in Pittsburgh and single shows in Uncasville, Connecticut; Albany, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Washington, D.C., were also called off.
After that, the next shows on E Street Band's tour schedule are an eight-gig Canadian run starting Nov. 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"Ulcers are very common and we treat them very, very effectively, and people return to totally normal lives," Kosinski said. "It all has to do with what his complication was, if he had a complication. But most people would be able to resume normal activities within four to six weeks."
Before Wednesday's announcement, Springsteen postponed two shows scheduled for Aug. 16 and 18 in Philadelphia, citing an unspecified illness. Those concerts are now rescheduled for Aug. 21 and 23, 2024.
After that setback, however, Springsteen recovered enough to perform twice in Foxborough, Massachusetts, then do three shows at MetLife Stadium in his native New Jersey over Labor Day weekend.
Those shows lasted about three hours each, a little short of his glory days of playing four hours or more, though still impressive for a 73-year-old.
"He takes care of himself, but ulcers are merciless; they can attack anybody," Kosinski said.
People experiencing peptic ulcer disease are usually told to cut back on their use of pain medication and limit alcohol consumption.
"Alcohol and rock? I couldn't imagine those two words being used together in the same sentence," Kosinski deadpanned. "Alcohol can definitely be an exacerbating factor."
