Complications of duodenal ulcer

Summary and conclusions

A survey was made of the ulcer complications that occurred among 1000 adult male patients with duodenal ulcer during the course of 5548 1/3 ulcer-yr. The most significant conclusion is that hemorrhage, perforation, and probably obstruction appear in a random fashion during an ulcer's course, preventing designation of any particular danger period. There is little to support the frequently heard comment that an ulcer patient's first hemorrhage is likely to be his most severe. Although for the individual doctor dealing with the individual patient the diagnosis of ulcer penetration may seem precise enough, this complication does not lend itself well to group analysis because of variance of criteria used for defining penetration clinically.