PEPTIC-ULCER DISEASE IN CHILDREN

In large centers, since the advent of endoscopy, the numbers of children being diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease has doubled or tripled from earlier reports of 1 or 2 cases per year. Stress ulcers are seen, mostly in infants and critically ill children. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and other drugs have caused the number of children with secondary gastritis and ulcers to rise dramatically. New therapeutic agents have simplified management and make surgical intervention for affected children a rarity. Genetics, heredity, and psychiatric factors are also addressed.