Personality disorders raise risk of ulcers

LONDON - Those with a personality disorder are up to five times more likely to develop stomach ulcers, a study suggests.

“Manifestations of peptic ulcer disease are influenced by mind-body interactions,” says Jean-Pierre Schuster, who led the study at Descartes University in Paris and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

Although stress has long been associated with the risk of ulcers, the discovery of links with Helicobacter Pylori infection led to less attention being paid to psychological factors, reports the Daily Mail.

The bacterium causes peptic ulcers by damaging the mucous coating that protects the stomach and duodenum.

Just how personality factors could have such an effect is far from clear but there are a number of theories.

One idea is that certain personality types, such as dependant personality, may be more likely to be involved in health-risk behaviour such as smoking, sleeplessness and irregular meals.

Another theory is that some personality factors trigger a stress response from hormones that have a detrimental effect on the immune system.