Peptic ulcer in children.

Abstract

Peptic ulceration in children is infrequent statistically though recent publications in the specialty journals have given emphasis to the occurrence and diagnosis of peptic ulcer in infants and children through the age of 16 years. 1 Recent reviews of the literature of gastric ulcer in children reveal less than 50 reported cases, with the majority of the reports dealing with 1 and 2 cases. This would indicate the rarity of the lesion but raises the question as to whether the incidence based on reported cases represents a true incidence of the disease. This is given further emphasis by autopsy statistics on children dying from all disease in which an incidence of peptic ulceration is given between 0.1 and 0.2%. It is well recognized that autopsy statistics based on hospitalized patients never represents a true incidence of any disease in the general population and would suggest a far greater incidence of