Changing Trends of Peptic Ulcer Disease & Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Retrospective Analysis.

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the current trends in Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) with respect to ulcer type, H. pylori status, and associated risk factors in a tertiary care setting.
Methodology: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Shalamar Hospital, Lahore, from November 2023 to November 2025. This study included 285 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during the study period. Demographic data, clinical features, endoscopic findings, H. pylori status (determined by rapid urease test and histopathology), and risk factors such as NSAID use, smoking, and alcohol intake were extracted from hospital records.
Results: The mean age of patients was 46.8 ± 13.2 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.3:1. Duodenal ulcers were more frequent (58.9%) than gastric ulcers (36.1%), while combined lesions accounted for 4.9%. H. pylori infection was detected in 60% of patients overall, with a significantly higher prevalence among duodenal ulcers (68.5%) compared to gastric ulcers (48.5%) (p = 0.002). NSAID use was reported in 32.3% of patients, showing a strong association with gas-tric ulcer development (p = 0.01).
Conclusion: H. pylori remain a major risk factor for duodenal ulcer disease, gastric ulcers are increasingly associated with NSAID exposure, particularly among elderly patients.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, prevalence, NSAID, Gastric ulcer, Duodenal ulcer.