Spontaneous healing of duodenal ulcers.

Ninety-one patients with duodenal, pyloric, or prepyloric ulcers were studied endoscopically. Spontaneous ulcer healing was seen in 29 patients within 2 weeks (rapid healing) and in 23 patients within 6 weeks (slow healing). More ulcers healed spontaneously in women than in men (P less than 0.05). Spontaneous healing in men was related to a low gastric peak acid output (P less than 0.05). During follow-up study for 2 years of patients with spontaneously healed ulcers 13 patients had no recurrence, whereas 19 patients had 1 or 2 recurrences, which also healed spontaneously; 11 patients had to be given active treatment, and 9 patients did not complete the study. Cigarette smoking was more frequently recorded in the group receiving active treatment than in the group with spontaneous healing. In men ulcers needing active treatment during the follow-up period were related to a high peak acid output (P less than 0.05).