Incidence of duodenal ulcer in the northern Savannah of Nigeria.

In 4 years, 200 patients were admitted to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, in the Northern Savannah of Nigeria, with a clinical diagnosis of peptic ulcer; 60 had the diagnosis of duodenal ulcer confirmed on barium meal or at operation, giving an incidence of 6/1000 adult admissions (excluding obstetrics). There were no gastric ulcers. Forty-four patients had a 'simple ulcer', 10 presented with gastric outlet obstruction, five with peritonitis following perforation and one with haematemesis. There were 44 males, and 16 females, with a mean age of 34 years and mean length of history of 44 months. Contrary to previous published reports improved diagnostic facilities have shown duodenal ulcer to be relatively common in the Northern Savannah of West Africa.