The causes and prevention of recurrences in peptic ulcer disease

Summary

Peptic ulcer is a recurrent disease. Factors precipitating recurrences in a group of 100 patients have been analyzed and discussed. Recurrences cannot be prevented without the patient’s understanding of the causes and an attempt to avoid them. Most recurrences are due to a combination of factors rather than to one. Patients can control 57 per cent of the factors precipitating recurrences. Only education, understanding, and cooperation will reduce the number of recurrences. Next best, but more impressive, is the unfortunate experience of making mistakes. Forty-three per cent of precipitating factors are beyond the patient’s control. In addition to a more careful diet at times of exposure to the latter, use of the anticholinergic drug, diphenmethanil methylsulfate, seems further to reduce the frequency of recurrences from these causes.