Endoscopy in peptic diseases and bleeding: a community survey of 1635 patients

Panendoscopy was analysed prospectively on 1635 patients in a personal series for the years 1976 to 1979, under standard conditions, including for emergency bleeding. 48% of males showed lesions, compared with 38% of females. Important diseases were uncommon under 40 years of age, except for reflux disease of the oesophagus. Duodenal ulcer craters exceeded gastric ulcers in the ratio of 1.6 to 1.0. The 103 chronic gastric ulcers were analysed according to gender (male to female ratio 1.6 to 1.0), age (only 4% were seen under the age of 40), diameter and location (larger ulcers were more common in the body of the stomach than the antrum). Multiple gastric ulcers occurred in 9 patients, while pyloroduodenal ulcers coexisted with gastric ulcer in 7. Duodenal ulcers seen in 164 patients were multiple in 12; only 4% occurred under 30 years of age. The duodenal ulcer male to female ratio for Europeans was 2.5 to 1.0. Cancer of the stomach was uncommon (36 patients). Reflux oesophageal disease (182 patients) was the most common disorder diagnosed endoscopically. The commonest lesions found in acute bleeding (174 patients) were duodenal ulcer in 19%, gastric ulcer in 11%, oesophageal erosions 17% and gastroduodenal erosions in 17%.