Risk factors

Ulcer disease has become a disease predominantly affecting older individuals, with the peak incidence occurring between 55 and 65 years of age. In part, this is explained by the fact that older people are at highest risk of H. pylori infection, one of the main causes of ulcers; H. pylori is found in more than 60 percent of patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers. Fully half of the country's population older than 60 is thought to be infected with H. pylori, which results in ulcer disease in 10 to 15 percent of those affected.

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Other risk factors include:

Family history: Among first-degree relatives of ulcer patients, the lifetime chance of developing an ulcer is three times as great as that of the general population. Approximately 20 to 50 percent of duodenal ulcer patients report a family history of duodenal ulcers. Gastric ulcer patients also report clusters of family members who suffer from stomach ulcers.

Poverty or poor sanitation: Lower socioeconomic status, poor sanitation, or living in areas without safe drinking water increases the risk of infection with H. pylori and hence the risk of peptic ulcer disease.

In people who develop NSAID-associated gastric and duodenal ulcers, risk factors include advanced age, a history of previous ulcer disease, concomitant use of corticosteroids and blood-thinning drugs, or serious systemic disorders such as arthritis.