Peptic ulcer and liver cirrhosis. Clinico-epidemiologic considerations

A significant increase in associated liver disease has been confirmed in duodenal ulcer cases, with various studies showing a 5-14% incidence of the ulcers in patients with cirrhosis. The present study was undertaken to discover the incidence of peptic ulcer in such patients, to investigate a series of epidemiological data in a group cirrhosis patients with ulcers and to establish an adequate protocol for the treatment of the ulcer in both its acute and post-healing stage. The incidence of peptic ulcers in cirrhosis patients was calculated in a retrospective study of 377 hospitalised patients in two consecutive years (1986, 1987). The epidemiological data are based on 99 of them. Acute ulcer treatment was given in 31, while 41 with healed ulcers were put on maintenance therapy. Ulcers were found in 16-17% of the cirrhosis patients; the cirrhosis was caused by alcohol abuse in 61.53% and was post-necrotic in 21.79%. Endoscopy revealed duodenal ulcers in 60.6%, gastric ulcers in 32.3%. In this sample, 39.39% were non-smokers, while 23.23% smoked over 20 cigarettes a day