Peptic Ulceration in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is frequently accompanied by peptic ulceration. Recent studies strongly suggest that the major cause is hypersecretion of gastric juice induced by hypoxemia or hypercapnia. To determine the incidence of peptic ulcers in COPD, we surveyed 267 patients with COPD seen at our hospital as inpatients or outpatients between 1984 and 1988. There were 90 patients with pulmonary emphysema, 93 with chronic bronchitis, and 84 with bronchiectasis. The prevalence of gastric ulcer in the patients with COPD was 23 out of the 267 patients (8.6%) surveyed. These included 13 patients with pulmonary emphysema, 6 with chronic bronchitis, and 4 with bronchiectasis. One‐half of the patients with pulmonary emphysema had hypoxemia and hypercapnia: These observations suggest it is necessary to improve the abnormal blood gas concentration in patients with COPD in order to promote the healing of the peptic ulcer.