Atherosclerosis and peptic ulcer.

Aortic and coronary atherosclerosis and the frequency of coronary stenosis and myocardial lesions were studied in subjects with peptic ulcer, in two subgroups with acute and chronic peptic ulcer, and in subjects who had undergone a stomach operation. In all these respects the groups were similar to each other. Men with peptic ulcer had the same amount of aortic atherosclerosis as the standardized average coronary atherosclerosis group but less coronary atherosclerosis, while women with peptic ulcer had less aortic and much less coronary atherosclerosis. The prevalence of coronary stenosis, fresh myocardial infarction, and myocardial scar was very low in those with peptic ulcer, especially in women.