Abstract

The results of a prospective inquiry into the aspirin taking habits of a consecutive series of 118 patients admitted to a large general hospital with acute perforation of peptic ulcer are presented. The series shows considerable increase in the proportion of females to males and of ulcers of the stomach compared to pyloro-duodenal perforations in contrast to British experience. Forty-five per cent of males and 75% of females were accustomed to taking at least two doses of an aspirin preparation weekly and most of the women took at least two doses daily. There was a highly significant association of heavy aspirin intake with ulcers of the stomach. The data support the theory that aspirin abuse is a cause of chronic gastric ulcer. It also supports the hypothesis that aspirin is the environmental factor responsible for the epidemic of gastric ulcers in middle-aged women in eastern Australia.