Gastric Ulcer in South Australia 1954–1963 1: Epidemiological Factors

A retrospective survey of 638 patients with chronic gastric ulcer is presented. The study was confined to patients admitted to the two South Australian teaching hospitals between the years 1954 and 1963. Gastric ulcer patients showed a significant increase in aspirin ingestion, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking, compared with controls. The disease was more common in males than in females, and occurred more frequently in widowed persons and pensioners, in comparison with the expected incidence in the South Australian population. Domestic stress was noted more frequently amongst the ulcer patients than among the controls.