Duodenal ulcer with history of severe stomach pain

[Aman]

Hi, my father is a 57-year-old man who was admitted yesterday after starting to pass black stools. He has a two-day history of severe stomach pains and has suffered on and off with indigestion for some months. He is a life-long smoker, with mild chronic cardiac failure (CCF) for which he has been taking enalapril 5 mg twice daily for 2 years. He is also taking NSAID for arthritis. He has just returned from endoscopy this morning and has been newly diagnosed as having a bleeding duodenal ulcer. What risk factors does my father have for a bleeding peptic ulcer?

[Tanisha]

@Aman The prevalence of peptic ulcers increases with age, as Helicobacter pylori infection rates increase with increasing. Peptic ulcers are more common in smokers. Your father is also taking an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), which is associated with ulceration.