[Epidemiologic relations between arteriopathy of the lower extremities and chronic gastroduodenal ulcer]

The authors report the results of a study of 3 565 consecutive patients over 30 years of age, of French nationality living in the Paris region, hospitalised over a 5 year period in a Department of internal medicine and vascular pathology. The incidence of gastroduodenal ulcer was compared in each sex in 10 year age groups in 764 patients with arterial disease and 2 801 patients without arterial disease. The incidence of ulcers was higher in patients with occlusive arterial disease in men in the 50 to 59 year age group (20,4 p. 100 compared to 9 p. 100, p less than 0,01), and in the 60 to 69 year age group (20,3 p. 100 compared to 9,8 p. 100, p less than 0,001), and after 70 years of age in females (12,8 p. 100 compared to 4 p. 100, p less than 0,01). The overall incidence in all patients with arterial disease (16,7 p. 100 of all 591 males, and 12,1 p. 100 of all females) was higher than in a corresponding control group (9,7 p. 100, p less than 0,0001, and 4,8 p. 100, p less than 0,001 respectively). These results only concern chronic ulcers. There was no difference in the incidence of acute ulcers.