aetiology

Last reviewed 01/2018

In both types of peptic ulceration, gastric and duodenal, there is an imbalance between secretion and neutralization of secreted acid. In duodenal ulcers there is an oversecretion of acid whilst in gastric ulcers there is an impairment of mucosal protection.

Other risk factors in the development of peptic ulceration include:

• heredity
• sex (increased incidence in males)
• stress:
• the Curling ulcer of burns victims
• the Cushing ulcer of raised intracranial pressure
• use of NSAIDs
• smoking (twice as common in people with chronic peptic ulcer than the general population)
• Helicobacter pylori - this is particularly important in the development of duodenal ulcers and gastritis.
• hypercalcaemia
• colchicine therapy
• renal failure - gastrin, like other peptide hormones, is metabolised in the kidney and hypergastrinaemia is one factor predisposing to peptic ulceration in uraemic patients