Long-Term Recurrent Bleeding Rate of Bleeding Peptic Ulcer

Shim, Ki Nam; Park, Eui Ryun; Jung, Hwoon Yong; Yang, Suk Kyun; Kim, Hae Ryun; Hong, Weon Seon

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Bleeding from a peptic ulcer is one of the common and serious complications associated with the rate of reported mortality, which ranges from 5% to 10%. Endoscopic therapy is effective in controlling active bleeding and reducing the emer-gency surgery, the immediate mortality rate and the incidence of early rebleeding. But few recent studies have documented the long-term recurrent bleeding rate after discharge in patients with bleeding peptic ulcers. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term recurrent bleeding rate and factors predisposing to recurrent bleeding.
METHODS
Eighty-eight patients with bleeding peptic ulcers discharged after medical treatment between Dec. 1990 and Jul. 1992 were included in this study and retrospectively followed up with medical records and telephone interviews. The end point of follow-up was recur-rent hemorrhage, surgery for treatment of ulcer complication, or death.
RESULTS
By July 1997, retrospective follow-up was available in 76 patients. Recurrent bleeding occurred in 23 patients (30.3%) with bleeding peptic ulcers and the median follow-up period was 69 months (range, 1 ~79 months). The estimated cumulative recurrent bleeding rate after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 years was 11.8%, 14.5%, 19.9%, 24.2%, 27.2% and 34.2%, respectively. There was no difference between the recurrent bleeding group and the non-recurrent bleed-ing group according to age, sex, prior NSAIDs use, previous history of bleeding or pepticulcer, site of ulcer, stigmata of recent hemorrhage at initial examination, method of treatment and amount of transfusion.
CONCLUSION
Recurrent bleeding occurred in one-third of patients with bleeding peptic ulcers after 6 years of follow-up and one-third of recurrent bleeders rebled within 1 year. The factors predisposing to recurrent bleeding in the long-term follow-up could not be found. Therefore, further studies designed to identify factors predisposing to recurrent bleeding are needed and the evaluation of Helicobacter pylori status in bleeding peptic ulcer is needed because Helicobacter pylori is an important factor of peptic ulcer recurrence.