Changes in the pattern of peptic ulcer disease in the northern part of Norway between 1946 and 1981.

The unique pattern of peptic ulcer disease in arctic areas has long been of interest. Results from a retrospective study on the occurrences of gastric and duodenal ulcer for the period between 1962 and 1964 in the northern part of Norway are presented. These results are compared with preliminary data from an ongoing investigation of peptic ulcer in the radiological department at the University Hospital of Tromsø and with those presented by others from the same area in the 1940s. It is shown that the relation between gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer has changed markedly both for women and men. However, there is still a higher incidence rate of gastric ulcer than of duodenal ulcer in women, whereas the ratio of gastric to duodenal ulcer in men is 1:1. These results contrast sharply with those reported elsewhere in Europe and in the United States.