Abstract
A post-mortem study of two series, a consecutive series of 513 cases and a retrospective study of 65 cases of peptic ulceration, was carried out to ascertain the relationship of atheroma, calcification and aneurysm of the abdominal aorta, severe atheroma of the coronary arteries and aortic stenosis to peptic ulceration. In the retrospective series, 41 cases had peptic ulceration or atrophic gastric mucosa.
There was a high incidence of peptic ulceration associated with severe aortic stenosis, severe atheroma and calcification of the abdominal aorta and severe atteroma of the coronary arteries. In this study, there was no increased incidence of peptic ulceration with aneurysm of the abdominal aorta. It was concluded that in the elderly, giant, silent peptic ulcers were associated with pathological changes in the cardiovascular system resulting in a decrease in blood supply to the gastric and duodenal mucosa.
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