Analysis of clinical characteristics of elderly patients with peptic ulcer

Introduction: Peptic ulcer is a growing concern in the elderly individuals due to the associated problems and lack of consistency in the clinical characteristics

Aim: The present study aims to assess the clinical characteristics of elderly individuals complaining for peptic ulcers

Methodology: This retrospective study was performed at the Hospital of Inner Mongolia University for Nationalities from November 2018 to November 2023. The records of the hospital were collected and patients were contacted. In total, 294 patients were included in the present study. The characteristics included in study were age, gender, weight, bedridden state, wheelchair support state, alcohol consumption, smoking, co-morbidities (diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and hyperuricemia), history of the patients ( gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bleeding, perforation, surgery and family history of gastric ulcer),  gastric tests (gastrin 17, gastrin opalinase 1, gastrin opalinase 2), H.pylori infection, Complete blood count (CBC) test (RBC, WBC, HGB) and endoscopy, site (antrum, duodenal part of duodenum, duodenum, gastric body, gastric angle, gastric fundus, gastric cardia, gastric mucosa, multiple, pylorus, stomach angle and stomach fundus) and size of peptic ulcer, outcomes (hospital stay and complications). 

The categorical variables were presented as frequencies with their percentages, whereas the continuous variables were depicted as mean and standard deviation (SD). For comparison, the patients were divided into two categories on the basis of their age, that is, group 1 with age range of below 65 years and group 2 with age range of above 65 years. For statistical analysis, student two-sample t-test was used to compare the continuous variables of two groups with p value of 0.05 marked as significant. On the other hand, the Chi square test was used for categorical variables

Results: Statistical significance was found between the two groups in terms of weight, bedridden state, wheelchair state, alcohol consumption, smoking, co-morbidities, history of GIT bleeding and surgery, gastrin 17, H.pylori infection, CBC test, endoscopy, sites, size, and complications. 

Conclusion: It can be concluded that more complications are faced by the elderly patients due to peptic ulcers. Thus, additional management is required to deal with this age group.