title: Peptic ulcer and its course in cirrhosis: an endoscopic and clinical prospective study.
abstract: The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of peptic ulcer were studied in 324 of 368 consecutive patients with cirrhosis of the liver during a mean period of 1.2 (+/- 0.61) years. Peptic ulcer prevalence rates in patients with cirrhosis were as follows: point prevalence 11.7%, period prevalence 15.1%, and life-time prevalence 24.2%. The annual incidence rate observed in 140 patients with cirrhosis undergoing endoscopic follow up was 4.3%. Ulcers were asymptomatic in more than 70% of patients. The peptic ulcer complication rate at entry was 20% in the whole group and 40% in those who had not a previous diagnosis of peptic ulcer when admitted to the study. Peptic ulcer was more frequent among HBsAg+ cirrhotics (p = 0.05). Patients with more severely decompensated cirrhosis also had a higher frequency of asymptomatic ulcers (p = 0.04), gastric ulcers (p = 0.01) and asymptomatic gastric ulcers (p = 0.005). After diagnosis, during endoscopic follow up, gastric ulcer in patients with cirrhosis tended to heal slowly and recurred with higher frequency than in controls without cirrhosis (p = 0.04). Seventy-nine per cent of peptic ulcer recurrences were asymptomatic in patients with cirrhosis. There were no complications during the follow-up period: this could be due to the regular timing of endoscopy, which permitted early detection and treatment of the recurrences, thus preventing further complications.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Clinica Medica e Gastroenterologia, Università di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siringo
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Burroughs
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bolondi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Febo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miglioli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavalli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barbara
mesh_terms: D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence