[Psychophysiological aspects of duodenal ulcer in young patients]

SMALL and Spilberg-Khanin questionnaires were used to examine psychological state while statistical and spectral analysis of heart rate at rest and orthostasis to evaluate vegetative status in 86 patients aged 15-24 years with duodenal ulcer (DU). Patients with mild DU had the least psychological and vegetative alterations primarily of the neurotic trend with a relative enhancement of the nervous sympathetic component. A severe disease was characterized by the greatest psychovegetative changes--high SMALL scales, anxiety, stress of the vegetative nervous systems at rest and orthostasis. Thus, alterations in psychic and vegetative status may serve criteria in prediction of DU course in young patients.