title: The pattern of chronic gastric ulcer at Kenyatta National Hospital (K.N.H.).
abstract: Thirty consecutive patients with gastric ulcer diagnosed during upper gastrointestinal fibreoptic panendoscopy at both Kenya Medical Research Institute and Kenyatta National Hospital endoscopy rooms were studied. The male/female ratio was 5:1 with a peak prevalence in the 6th decade. 76.6% of the patients were from the Kikuyu ethnic group. Smoking habit was found in only 50% of patients with gastric ulcers. There were a total of 32 gastric ulcers in 30 patients. 84.4% of these were at the incisura angularis. All the incisural ulcers were benign. Two (6.25%) of the 32 ulcers were malignant (one at the cardia and the other at the antrum). Gastric ulcers whose diameter were greater than 30 mm had a higher tendency of being malignant. Five patients (16.7%) had both gastric (4 benign and 1 malignant) and duodenal ulcers while 4 (13.3%) patients had both gastric and pyloric ring ulcers. Apparent healing of a gastric ulcer while on an H2-antagonist does not totally exclude malignancy. Upper gastrointestinal bleed which was present in 53.3% of cases was the most frequent complication.
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Ogutu
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Lule
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Okoth
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Were
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology*