[Epidemiology of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in Vas County in Western Hungary]

Data of 3014 patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding were retrospectively evaluated in county Vas between 1984 and 1995. The annual incidence of bleeding increased progressively in this period. In this change the role of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in questionable, because in the investigated period the sale of these drugs decreased, although the purchase of oxicame, one of this drug-group associating with higher risk for bleeding increased. The risk of bleeding enhanced with ageing that can be explained by higher rate of Helicobacter pylori infection, by the greater consumption of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and by the more frequent serious concomitant diseases in elderly age. The risk of bleeding in males proved to be higher than in females, the frequency of bleeding in men was twice as much as it could be expected according to the sex rate of the peptic lesions. Their results concerning the reduction of mortality underline the importance of the early endoscopic diagnosis and therapy.