What is chronic gastric disease? Gastric and duodenal ulcers Chronic gastritis Non-atrophic (superficial) gastritis, atrophic gastritis, special types of gastritis. The prevalence of peptic ulcers in our population is about 10%, and the prevalence of chronic gastritis is about 30%. Peptic ulcer An ulcer is a limited ulcer or defect in the mucosa of the stomach or duodenum caused by various reasons, with lesions reaching the submucosa or deeper, while an erosion refers to a superficial ulcer no more than 3 mm deep. Therefore, the ulcer will leave a scar after healing. Gastric ulcers are common in middle-aged and elderly people, with a peak incidence age of 45-55 years and a peak incidence age of 20-30 years for duodenal ulcers. The onset of peptic ulcers is seasonal, especially in autumn, winter and spring, with a low incidence in summer. In addition, stress, tension, depression and other mental factors can lead to the development of peptic ulcers. Chronic gastritis (non-atrophic (superficial) gastritis, atrophic gastritis and special types of gastritis) generally takes 10 to 20 years for the gastric mucosa to develop from normal to cancerous changes. Even from atrophic gastritis to gastric cancer, there is a gradual evolution, during which intermediate stages such as “incomplete enterosis” and “intraepithelial neoplasia (old name for atypical hyperplasia)” occur. The incidence of gastric cancer in atrophic gastritis is related to the duration and extent of the lesion, reaching approximately 10% over 15 years. Atrophic gastritis (atrophy and intestinalization) can become cancerous and should be given more attention. However, they are also age-related, and 90% of people over 60 years of age can have intestinalization, so this can be seen as an aging change. Mild to moderate atrophy and intestinalization are common clinically and can be reversed, while severe ones should be followed closely, but are still not absolute indications for surgery.