[Perforated peptic ulcer--incidence, localization, patients' age and gender].

Throughout last decades there was a noticeable change in the incidence and number of complications of peptic ulcer disease observed. The aim of our study was to determine the character of changes within the course of last 41 years in perforated peptic ulcer's incidence, localization together with patients' age and gender. To achieve that aim we analyzed the group of 784 patients admitted to 2nd Chair of Surgery of Jagiellonian University due to perforated duodenal and gastric ulcers from 1962 to 2002. To allow statistical analysis the collected material was subsequently divided into 4 periods: 1962-1971, 1972-1981, 1982-1991 and 1992-2002. There was no change in overall incidence of perforated peptic ulcers observed within analyzed period. We observed however marked rise in female percentage in the perforated duodenal ulcers group. Perforated gastric ulcers patients--regardless of gender--and females suffering from perforated duodenal ulcers were on average about 10 years older than males with perforated duodenal ulcers. Rise in age observed in the male and female groups treated due to perforated duodenal ulcers proved to be statistically insignificant.