In ventriculi ulcer (synonyms: Antrum erosion; infection by Helicobacter pylori in ventriculi ulcer; gastric erosion; gastric mucosal erosion; gastric ulcer; gastric ulcer hemorrhage; stress ulcer of the stomach; ulcus ad pylorum; callosum ulcer of the ventriculi; peptic ulcer of stomach; peptic ulcer of pylorus; peptic ulcer of ventriculi; praepyloric ulcer; pyloric ulcer; rotundum ventriculi ulcer; peptic ulcer disease; ICD-10 K25. -: Ulcus ventriculi) is an ulceration in the area of the stomach (gastric ulcer). It is usually located in the area of the pylorus (stomach gate) and the anterior antrum or on the inner side of the small curvature (gastric street).
Ventricular ulcer, together with duodenal ulcer, belongs to the group of gastrointestinal ulcer diseases. Together, they are among the most common diseases of the digestive tract.
In approximately 70-80% of cases, infection with the Gram-negative, microaerophilic rod-shaped bacterium Helicobacter pylori is detectable in the patients. The infection initially leads to gastritis (type B gastritis), on the basis of which an ulcer may form in the course of the disease.
Sex ratio: Men are slightly more frequently affected than women.
Frequency peak: The maximum incidence of ventricular ulcer is after the age of 40 and before the age of 70. The peak age is in the 6th decade of life.
The prevalence (disease incidence) is 0.3% (in Germany).
The incidence (frequency of new cases) is about 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year (in Germany). The tendency is decreasing.
Course and prognosis: If the cause of ventricular ulcer is an infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, eradication (elimination of the germ) leads to cure of the disease. The recurrence rate is then between 0 and 5 %. Reinfection with the germ occurs in only 1% of cases, but this does not necessarily lead to ventricular ulcer. If left untreated, a gastric ulcer can lead to ulcer bleeding or even perforation (rupture; stomach contents enter the abdominal cavity), among other things. Overall, the duration of healing depends on the size and depth of the ulcer (ulcer) as well as on the living conditions of the patient.
If permanent use of a medication that increases the risk of ulcer is required, nowadays permanent therapy with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI; acid blocker) is recommended at the same time for prevention (prophylaxis).
