[A survey on gastric diseases in black Africans in Dakar (Senegal) (author's transl)]

The authors report on a survey about 1.188 Senegaleses affected by gastric disease. The diagnosis was established by either endoscopy or, less often, by a surgical control. The findings were ulcer (43,09 p. 100) with duodenal localisation in most cases (67 p. 100), non malignant tumor (0,84 p. 100), malignant tumor (1,85 p. 100) and most often (53,95 p. 100) non ulcerous and non tumorous gastropathies. Noticed clinical features are not much different from the ones observed in Caucasian patients. Sex ratio gives male preponderance and there is an etiologic role of age: superficial gastritis and duodenal ulcer prevail from 20 to 40, chronic gastritis from 20 to 50 and gastric ulcer after 35. Smoking tobacco, misuse and overdose of aspirin and antiphlogistic drugs seem to be facilitating factors which were recorded in 50 p. 100 of non ulcerous gastropathies, 40 p. 100 of gastric ulcers and 27 p. 100 of duodenal ulcers. Neither ethnic origin, nor blood group, nor diet have shown any etiologic influence. Most patients with an ulcer have 3 periods of pain every year and one among three needs a surgical intervention.