Physical activity at work and duodenal ulcer risk

Duodenal ulcer is a condition caused by an imbalance between the protective properties of the intestinal lining (mucosa) and the destructive properties of gastric acid. It is further characterized by erosions in the wall of the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). Not all of the causal factors involved in the development of duodenal ulcer are known, but it has been reported that individuals who are physically active in their jobs are at greater risk for developing duodenal ulcer than are individuals with jobs not requiring physical labor. It is not known to what extent this reflects the different lifestyles of manual workers and office workers (the former are, on average, of a lower socioeconomic status than the latter), and to what extent it reveals physical activity as a true risk factor. To further investigate this question, a study was carried out in which the cases of 76 recently diagnosed duodenal ulcer patients and 76 healthy controls were analyzed. The risk of duodenal ulcer was greater in those patients who smoked, who were in a lower social class (as determined by a standardized grouping of occupations), and who were physically active on the job. The lower social classes tended to have jobs that required greater levels of physical activity, but even when social class was statistically controlled, more active individuals tended to be at greater risk for developing ulcer; this was true for all social classes. The mechanism by which increased activity leads to a higher incidence of ulceration is not known, but might involve activity-induced alterations in blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract, or changes in nutrient intake in more active individuals. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)