title: High prevalence of duodenal ulcer in a tertiary care hospital in the city of São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In spite of Helicobacter pylori infection being the etiological cause of peptic ulcer and its high prevalence in Brazil, the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease has been poorly studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To verify the peptic ulcer disease prevalence in patients of a tertiary care hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic findings from 1,478 consecutive endoscopies were correlated with the urease test results for H. pylori infection diagnosis and demographic data in a total of 3,779 endoscopies performed in 2005. The mean age of the patients was 51.14 ± 16.46, being 613 (41.5%) men.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Peptic ulcer was diagnosed in 494 (33.4%) patients with a mean age of 54.86 ± 14.53, 205 (52%) were men, being 391 (26.5%) duodenal ulcer and 103 (7%) gastric ulcer. Normal endoscopy was found in 272 (18.4%) patients with a mean age of 38.4 ± 15.22, being 49 (18%) men. The comparison of peptic ulcer group with the patients that had normal endoscopy revealed that H. pylori infection [P = 0.005; OR = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.17-2.47], male gender [P<0.0001; OR = 5.53; 95%CI = 3.67-8.34] and older age [P<0.0001; OR = 1.08; 95%CI = 1.06-1.09] increased the risk of peptic ulcers. The overall H. pylori prevalence was 53% (786).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of duodenal ulcer is high in a Brazilian population that had H. pylori infection associated with older age and male gender as important determinants to gastrointestinal diseases outcome. Future prospective studies should confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Gastroenterologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brasil. sergiobmarques@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sergio B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Rejane
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mattar
authors.forename: Everson L A
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Artifon
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Flair José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Carrilho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors