Peptic ulcer disease in Kelantan: an underdiagnosed condition?
Raj, S.M.
Medical Journal of Malaysia 46(2): 183-186
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-5283 PMID: 1839424 Document Number: 376801
A review of the records at a teaching hospital in Kelantan revealed that 175 new cases of peptic ulcer disease were diagnosed endoscopically over a period of 5 years. The ratio of duodenal to gastric ulcers was 2:1. Male patients outnumbered females by 2.7:1. There was a disproportionately high number of Chinese patients. A striking observation was that an unusually large proportion (45%) of patients had presented with acute gastrointestinal bleeding. The implication is that peptic ulcer disease in this region may be underdetected; the diagnosis often coming to light only after a serious complication has supervened.