The Seasonal Incidence of Complications of Peptic Ulcer
- 1 August 1963
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American College of Physicians in Annals of Internal Medicine
- Vol. 59 (2) , 165-171
- https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-59-2-165
Abstract
The belief that peptic ulceration is more common in the fall and spring seasons of the year is an often repeated, if not accepted, concept. 411 cases of gastro-duodenal ulceration with perforation or hemorrhage were analyzed for over-all monthly and seasonal incidence. The incidence for the individual years from 1949 through 1958 were similarly analyzed and compared. The results indicate that the differences noted in the seasonal and monthly incidence were slight and probably statistically insignificant (winter 24.6%, spring 24.8%, summer 21.6%, and autumn 290%). When the individual years were analyzed for the seasonal and monthly incidence, there was remarkable inconsistency in the occurrence of these complications of peptic ulceration. Thus, it is concluded that the seasonal variation in complications of peptic ulcer is very slight and varies considerably from year to year. The concept of spring and fall exacerbation of peptic ulcer has been exaggerated.Keywords
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