BACKGROUND: The duodenal ulcer always represented a very prevalent pathology among the gastrointestinal tract diseases worldwide. The average prevalence is approximately 10% of the world population. In the 90s the literature (both European and North American) begin to show a crescent reduction of this prevalence in many countries. AIM: To show through a retrospective analysis the annual prevalence of the duodenal ulcer in the last 10 years in a Digestive Endoscopy Service which is referred to public medical system in Porto Alegre and its suburban area and countryside of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data analyzed is from March 1996 to December 2005. Specific data: transversal retrospective study with documented analysis of endoscopic diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the diagnosis of the 13.130 procedures of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy between 1996 and 2005. The Sakita classification was used to verify the duodenal ulcer activity taking into consideration the patients who have lesions on A1 to S1 levels. To verify if there was a statistical significant results, a linear regression test was done (linear regression model). RESULTS: A gradate decrease of the prevalence percentuals was observed, year after year, it began with 8.3% of prevalence in 1996 and finished with 3.3% in the beginning of 2006. The average annual reduction of this prevalence was calculated following the regression test and it was placed in the 1.3% a year in the studied period of time. In 2003, in an isolated way, it was an exception in the decrease of the percentage because it presented a prevalence increase of (6.5%) comparing to the first 6 years of study. CONCLUSION: In this study it was observed a decrease of duodenal ulcer prevalence, 1.3% a year to be more accurate in 10 years of study, showing a statistical significance in the linear regression test.
Duodenal ulcer; epidemiology
