The incidence of gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer in north Norway. A prospective epidemiological study

Abstract

From a prospective epidemiological study of peptic ulcer disease in the northern part of Norway, incidence rates for gastric and duodenal ulcer are presented. Over a 3-year period 4234 patients were examined radiologically or endoscopically. The population at risk was 72,537 persons, 16 to 93 years old. The yearly incidence rate for gastric ulcer in women was 0.9 per 1000 and for men 1.4 per 1000. For duodenal ulcer the incidence rates were 0.8 and 1.5 per 1000, respectively. The ratio of gastric ulcer to duodenal ulcer is still 1 to 1.1 for both sexes, 1 to 0.9 in women, and 1 to 1.14 in men in the northern part of Norway. Furthermore, the present study indicates a statistically significant positive correlation between increasing age and the occurrence of peptic ulcers for both sexes.