[Hemorrhagic stress lesions in the gastroduodenal mucosa. Incidence and therapy]

We have observed 428 patients with hemorrhages of the upper gastrointestinal tract; 7% of patients with stress lesions of the gastroduodenal mucosa being the cause of hemorrhages (4.9% were erosional stress hemorrhages and 2.1% were stress ulcera). Surgery is the most common cause of stress hemorrhages of the stomach and duodenum. They occur during the first 5 days after the surgery, whereas 70.59% (n = 12) occur during the first 72 hours. The localization of erosional hemorrhages of the stomach mucosa is mostly diffuse and that is why they are numerous (78.6% of the third degree) and hemorrhages are mostly heavy (the case with stress hemorrhages). Chronic peptic ulcera, especially duodenal (62.5% duodenal ulcera and 37.5% stomach ulcera) present an expressed risk factor for the occurrence of hemorrhagic erosions under the influence of the stress factor. The most common localization of the stress hemorrhagic ulcus is duodenum (66.7%) which is a potential danger for occurrence of the heaviest arterial hemorrhages. After major surgeries and during postoperative periods patients must be preventively protected by "antiulcus therapy" (especially patients with ulcera).