Incidence of Duodenal and Gastric Ulcers

The literature, and particularly the statistical evaluation of peptic ulcer, is vast and ordinarily there should be little excuse for adding to it, unless one has some definite reason. It is well recognized that all over the world this disease pattern in the last few decades has undergone certain changes with regard to the duodenal-gastric ulcer ratio, sex incidence, and the occurrence of complications. Bradfield (1927) and Dogra (1940a and b) have already presented the incidence of various types of peptic ulcers observed in Madras up to the year 1940. We have now chosen to compare the patients who have come for surgery at the Government General Hospital, Madras (1,200 cases) in the last four years with a similar number about 20 years ago. A detailed study was made from the actual case sheets and operation notes and not from any compilation of hospital statistics. Incidentally this should serve to record the pattern of the disease, as met on the operation table at the Government General Hospital, since the era of Bradfield and Dogra. The cases, depending on the site of ulcer, are labelled as duodenal ulcer, ulcer in the body of stomach, ulcer in the pylorus, and combined gastric and duodenal ulcer. Though pyloric ulcer is really a gastric ulcer, it is grouped separately because some authors have not included it in the group of gastric ulcer. But in the final compilation of data in this paper, it will be treated as gastric ulcer. The causes of admission for surgery are considered under four