Prevalence and risk factors of asymptomatic peptic ulcer disease in Taiwan

Table 1 Demographics and endoscopic findings of asymptomatic subjects undergoing a routine health check-up (n = 572) n (%)

Clinical characteristics
Age (yr)
mean ± SD	51.5 ± 12.9
< 45	206 (36.0)
45-60	235 (41.1)
> 60	131 (22.9)
Gender
Men	372 (65.0)
Women	200 (35.0)
Body mass index (kg/m2)
mean ± SD	24.3 ± 3.5
< 25	321 (55.6)
25-30	225 (38.8)
> 30	26 (4.6)
Endoscopic findings
Peptic ulcer	54 (9.4)
Gastric ulcer	27 (4.7)
Duodenal ulcer	22 (3.9)
Gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer	5 (0.9)

Table 2 Comparison of socio-demographic and lifestyle factors in asymptomatic subjects with and without peptic ulcer disease n (%)

Principal parameter	Non-peptic ulcer	Peptic ulcer	P value
Sex			< 0.001
Men	330 (63.7)	42 (77.8)
Women	188 (36.3)	12 (22.2)
Age (yr)			0.082
< 45	199 (38.4)	16 (29.6)
45-60	211 (40.7)	23 (42.6)
> 60	108 (20.9)	15 (27.8)
Education (yr)			0.045
< 10	118 (22.8)	18 (33.3)
10-12	225 (43.4)	20 (37.0)
> 12	175 (33.8)	16 (29.7)
BMI (kg/m2)			< 0.001
< 25	315 (60.8)	25 (46.3)
25-30	189 (36.5)	25 (46.3)
> 30	14 (2.7)	4 (7.4)
NSAID use			0.628
No	471 (90.9)	50 (92.6)
Yes	47 (9.1)	4 (7.4)
Peptic ulcer history			< 0.005
No	370 (71.4)	30 (55.6)
Yes	148 (28.6)	24 (44.4)
Smoking status			< 0.001
No	359 (69.3)	27 (50.0)
Former smoker	75 (14.5)	8 (14.8)
Current smoker	84 (16.2)	19 (35.2)
Alcohol drinking			0.137.
No	379 (73.2)	36 (66.7)
≤ 3 times per week	88 (17.0)	13 (24.1)
> 3 times per week	51 (9.8)	5 (9.2)
Coffee drinking			0.739
No	299 (57.7)	31 (57.4)
≤ 3 times per week	100 (19.3)	12 (22.2)
> 3 times per week	119 (23.0)	11 (20.4)
Tea drinking			0.209
No	222 (42.9)	19 (35.2)
≤ 3 times per week	99 (19.1)	11 (20.4)
> 3 times per week	197 (38.0)	24 (44.4)
Spicy foods consumption			0.147
No	321 (62.0)	29 (53.7)
≤ 3 times per week	121 (23.4)	14 (25.9)
> 3 times per week	76 (14.6)	11 (20.4)
Betel nut use			0.016
No	506 (97.7)	50 (92.6)
Yes	12 (2.3)	4 (7.4)

BMI: Body mass index, indicating weight in kg divided by body surface area; NSAID: Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug.

Table 3 Independent risk factors for the presence of peptic ulcer disease in asymptomatic subjects¹

Risk factors	Coefficient	SE	OR (95% CI)	P value
Peptic ulcer history	0.686	0.199	1.99 (1.34-2.93)	0.001
Education ( yr )
10-12	-0.704	0.247	0.49 (0.31-0.80)	0.04
> 12	-0.562	0.265	0.57 (0.34-0.96)	0.034
Current smoker	0.960	0.263	2.61 (1.56-4.38)	< 0.001
BMI (kg/m2)
> 25	0.404	0.203	1.49 (1.01-2.23)	.046
> 30	1.292	0.443	3.64 (1.53-8.68)	0.004

OR: Odds ratio; BMI: Body mass index, indicating weight in kg divided by body surface area. ¹Analysis for sex, education level, BMI, peptic ulcer history, smoking and betel nut consumption; CI: Confidence interval.