A comparison of home and hospital treatment of patients with peptic ulceration on a liberal diet.

In a previous paper3 I concluded that treatment in hospital of patients with peptic ulceration on a liberal diet gave results as good as those obtained in hospital by strict dieting, strict dieting plus robaden or a liberal diet plus robaden. Doll2 also found that patients with gastric ulcers treated in hospital did as well on an almost normal diet as those given a strict ulcer diet. He found that his gastric and duodenal ulcer patients treated at home did as well on an almost normal diet as did those treated at home on a strict ulcer diet (12 months follow-up). Avery Jones1 stresses the importance of bed rest and good rapport between physician and patient and he is not convinced of the value of dietetic measures in peptic ulceration. Rossett,5 on the other hand, advocates ambulatory treatment together with strict dieting and 1-hyoscyamine. The present study is an attempt to decide whether, in fact, admission to hospital is beneficial in the treatment of uncomplicated peptic ulceration and is based on a follow-up of ulcer patients seen by me since I954.