Medical research is actively investigating why it is that only some people who are infected with the germ get ulcers. Ulcers are common in Britain and men are more prone to suffer than women. About one in ten men and one in fifteen women suffer from an ulcer at some time in their lives, but in most people they heal up with treatment. People who have H. pylori present in the lining of their stomach are far more likely to develop further ulcers and so it is important that they receive treatment to clear this infection. This can usually be done by using a combination of tablets including antibiotics.
Ulcers are rare in children and are more likely to occur as people get older.
Sometimes peptic ulcers tend to run in families. Aspirin is one of this group. People throughout the world suffer from ulcers, but they are most common in Europe, North America, Southern India and Bangladesh. Sometimes there is no apparent explanation for the development of an ulcer. Smoking makes ulcers more likely to develop and also slows the healing process.