Abstract

An analysis of the 149 cases of haematemesis admitted to Coronation Hospital from January 1951, to September 1959, is presented. The commonest cause was found to be acute gastritis and gastric erosion. These cases were more common in males and usually followed on an alcoholic bout. These were in the main mild. Twenty-five cases associated with peptic ulceration were found, and the lesion occurred more commonly in males under the age of 40. Duodenal ulcer was commoner than gastric ulcer. The incidence of haematemesis with peptic ulceration appears to be on the increase, the cause of which is not known. Cirrhosis of the liver is a frequent cause of haematemesis and carries a high mortality.