Incidence of Perforated Peptic Ulcer Disease in Damanhur Teaching Hospital: A Five-Year Retrospective Study

Background: Perforated peptic ulcer is considered a life-threatening condition with an incidence of 7/100,000 every year and an overall mortality of about 10 %.
Aim of the study: This research aimed to study perforated peptic ulcer disease in Damanhur Teaching Hospital as a tertiary center over the last five years.
Patients and methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Damanhur Teaching Hospital, Elbehiera, Egypt. Data were collected and analyzed regarding cases of peptic ulcer perforation during the last five years from January 2020 till December 2024.
Results: Perforated peptic ulcer cases represented 4.93% of surgical emergency and 1.58% of total surgical admissions. The highest incidence was among patients in the age range of 30-50 years. 92.26% of patients had undergone laparotomy. 90.65% of them had an omental patch repair while distal gastrectomy and gastrojejunostomy were done in the remaining 1.61%. 7.74% of patients were managed conservatively. The mean length of hospital stay of patients who underwent laparotomy was shorter than those who were conservatively treated.
Conclusion: A high prevalence of perforated peptic ulcer is observed in our study. Middle-aged males are more vulnerable. The most important risk factors are smoking, NSAIDs intake, history of dyspepsia and H. pylori infection. Morbidity and mortality results are comparable with those documented in the literature.