[Age-related comparative characteristics of ulcer disease course].

AIM: To study pathogenetic factors underlying development of ulcer disease and its course in different age periods.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Clinical, psychoemotional, endoscopic device, biochemical and radioimmunological examinations were used in the study of 283 patients with gastroduodenal ulcer. By age, the patients were divided into four groups: 15-18, 19-35, 36-60 and 61 and older.

RESULTS

Some age-specific clinical and endoscopic characteristics were found in the examinees. Risk factors (hereditary predisposition, high gastric juice acidity, the presence of Helicobacter pylori, etc.) occurred almost with the same frequency at different ages. Older patients had deficient defense-protection properties of gastric mucus. Most of the examinees's psycho-emotional state was characterized by moderate reactive and high personality anxiety. In all the age groups reactions of the hormonal system were of the same type--hypophyseo-adrenal hyperfunction and hypophyseo-thyroid hypofunction.

CONCLUSION

The above findings may help in design of differentiated by age therapeutic and diagnostic measures for ulcer patients of different age.