The impact of peptic ulcer disease and infection with Helicobacter pylori on life expectancy.
OBJECTIVE
Knowledge about the influence of H. pylori-related disease on life expectancy might affect physician behavior in dealing with such disease. The aim of this study was to assess how life expectancy is influenced by H. pylori infection and peptic ulcer disease.


METHODS
The declining exponential approximation of life expectancy was used to model the effects of H. pylori and various peptic ulcer disease conditions on life expectancy. Deaths from peptic ulcer and gastric cancer were determined from the Vital Statistics of the United States. H. pylori prevalence rates were derived from the existing literature.


RESULTS
Cure of active peptic ulcer increases life expectancy by 2.3 yr in persons aged 40-44 yr and 121 days in persons aged 70-74 yr. More substantial impact occurs in complicated ulcer, with increases in life expectancy ranging between 26.1 and 6.3 yr. Primary prevention of H. pylori could increase life expectancy by 190 days in those aged 40-44 yr and 26 days in 70-74-yr-old subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
The benefit of ulcer cure or H. pylori prevention diminishes as age advances. Cure of ulcers in young patients or in those who have sustained complications results in an appreciable increase in life expectancy. Successful primary prevention of H. pylori in selected populations could substantially increase life expectancy.
Division of Gastroenterology, VA Medical Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108, USA.
J M
JM
Inadomi
A
A
Sonnenberg
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D010438:Peptic Ulcer Hemorrhage / Q000401:mortality; D010439:Peptic Ulcer Perforation / Q000401:mortality; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology