Dyspepsia in Ibadan

In a prospective study between January 1982 and December 1986, 402 patients with dyspepsia were seen at the gastroenterology clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan. The patients were evaluated using upper gastro-intestinal fibre-optic endoscopy in addition to laboratory and radiological examination. Out of these, 374 patients were later analysed for the present study. Of the group, 14% had peptic ulcers (duodenal ulcer 10.3%; gastric ulcer 3.7%); and 26.7% had mucosal inflammation of oesophagus and gastroduodenum. 55% had no lesion as observed by endoscopy. Our observation therefore indicates that most of the dyspeptic patients at Ibadan have non-ulcer dyspepsia. The pathogenesis of dyspepsia is briefly discussed.