A Clinical and Socio-medical Investigation of Patients 5 Years after Surgical Treatment for Duodenal Ulcer

Abstract

Within the framework of the Aarhus County Vagotomy Trial a socio-medical investigation was performed. Eighty-eight patients were interviewed. Data were collected concerning the patients' own assessments and several psychological symptoms. The interview also comprised questions about education, career, and personal and family problems. The surgeon's assessment, expressed by the Visick classification, was significantly correlated with the patients' assessments. In the analysis of predictors for surgical failure expressed by the Visick classification, age was the only significant predictor. Indicators of social or psychological stress showed a tendency towards association with an unfavourable outcome. No associations were found between the selected predictors and surgical failure expressed as recurrent ulcer. Patients classified as Visick III or IV had an accumulation of non-specific psychological symptoms indicating psychological impairment. It is suggested that evaluations of surgical outcome for duodenal ulcer consider both a specific surgical dimension and a subjective dimension expressed by the patients' judgements and/or expression of their health status.