Patients can be treated with drugs or through surgery, but there is no firm evidence that this works. Bleeding ulcers can be a sign of general poor health. Approximately one in ten people will suffer from an ulcer. Each year about ten per cent of sufferers required surgery because of persistent symptoms. In a small minority of cases patients will die of ulcer-related complications.
Ulcers can develop at any age, but they are rare among teenagers and even more uncommon in children.
Duodenal ulcers occur for the first time usually between the ages of 30 and 50. Stomach ulcers are more likely to develop in people over age 60. The most common ulcer symptom is a gnawing or burning pain in the abdomen between the breastbone and the naval. The pain often occurs between meals and in the early hours of the morning. It may last from a few minutes to a few hours and may be relieved by eating or by taking antacids.