[Peptic ulcer in the United States].

The present paper reviews the epidemiology of peptic ulcer in the United States based on national statistics available through the National Center for Health Statistics and other federal or private institutions. About 5 million people currently have a peptic ulcer disease. More than 95 percent ever saw a physician for their disease, 65 percent visited their physician during the past year and 65 percent were currently under treatment for peptic ulcer disease. On the average, the ulcer led to 2.5 weeks of restricted activity per patient. About one week per patient was spent in bed due to the ulcer disease. The total number of physician visits for peptic ulcer ranged between 2 and 5 million per year. About 600,000 persons were discharged annually from hospitals with the diagnosis of peptic ulcer. In half of these discharges peptic ulcer was listed as primary diagnoses leading to 2.2 million hospital days or one week per case. Peptic ulcer was the primary cause of death in 6,700 subjects per year corresponding to a death rate of 28 per million living population. It was mentioned as secondary diagnosis on the death certificate of additional 11,000 people. Almost all US statistics revealed a marked decline in the occurrence of peptic ulcer during the past three decades. The decline affected all ulcer types, both sexes, and all races. It did not appear to be markedly influenced by any major medical improvements achieved in treating peptic ulcer disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)