[Gastroduodenal peptic ulcer: descriptive study]

Our goals were to describe the epidemiological, clinical and endoscopic aspects of gastrointestinal ulcer and to determine the frequency of H. pylori, we included 140 gastrointestinal peptic ulcers from January 1999 to June 2000. Diagnosis of ulcerous disease delt with the presence of an ulcer discovered during a high digestive endoscopy. Gastro-duodenal ulcers bleeding or with stenosis have been excluded as well as patients who were under anticoagulant treatment or antibiotics or under pump of protons inhibitors during the previous month. Data were collected from a unique questionnaire specifying the sociodemographic characteristic, the history of the ulcerous disease, the antecedents, the style of life, and the endoscopic findings. Five biopsies were done using sterile grips and a fast urease test and the direct exam of the smear. The prevalence of gastro-duodenal ulcers in our population of survey was 6.2%. One hundred twenty eight duodenal ulcers (91.4%), and 12 gastric ulcers (8.6%) were found. The average of age was of 37.1 years +/- 15.3. The sex ratio was 2.9. The gastro-duodenal disease had begun for more than 5 years at 40.8%. No difference in the characters of the pain and signs has been found between duodenal and gastric localization of the ulcer. Hp was associated in 91.4% (91.4% when duodenal ulcers, 88.9% when gastric ulcers and all gastric and duodenal ulcers). We conclude that gastrointestinal ulcers occupies an important place in our gastroenterological practice and the infection rate with H. pylori infection is so high during gastro-duodenal ulcers in our country that the eradication of Hp could be proposed in any case of gastro-duodenal ulcer diagnosed by endoscopy.