Peptic ulcer disease Peptic ulcer : a defect in the gastric or duodenal mucosa with a diameter of at least 0.5 cm and a depth that penetrates through the muscularis mucosae Gastric ulcer : a peptic ulcer of the gastric mucosa , typically located along the lesser curvature in the transitional portion between the corpus and antrum Duodenal ulcer : a peptic ulcer of the duodenal mucosa , usually located on the anterior or posterior wall of the duodenal bulb Epidemiology Incidence : ∼ 1 case/1,000 person-years [2] Prevalence ∼ 6 million cases annually in the US [3] The prevalence of PUD is decreasing (see “Etiology”). [4] Duodenal ulcers occur on average 10–20 years earlier than gastric ulcers . [5] Age : The median age of diagnosis is 18–30 years . Sex : ♂ ...