• Question: Can we get stomach ulcers because of stressing over sports?

    Asked by Diana to Dan, Helen, Katy, LauraAnne on 18 Nov 2016. This question was also asked by Claudia-mantovani.
    • Photo: LauraAnne Furlong

      LauraAnne Furlong answered on 18 Nov 2016:

      Stress used to be considered one of the reasons we develop stomach ulcers, but there isn’t a lot of scientific evidence for it. Stress is bad for you in lots of other ways, but stomach ulcers are most likely to happen because of infection with helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria or using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

    • Photo: Katy Griggs

      Katy Griggs answered on 18 Nov 2016:

      I agree with Laura Anne, there isn’t clear evidence between stress and the incidence of stomach ulcers. In addition stomach ulcers can affect people of any age, including children, but mostly occur in people aged 60 or over. Men are also more commonly affected than women.

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