Type 2 Diabetes Is a Risk Factor for Peptic Ulcer Bleeding

Noting that some studies have shown patients with diabetes have a higher incidence of peptic ulcer disease, the authors of “Diabetes Is an Independent Risk Factor for Peptic Ulcer Bleeding : A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study,” published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, analyzed the medical records of a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes to determine if they have a higher risk of developing peptic ulcer bleeding and to identify possible risk factors for peptic ulcer bleeding in this population.

For the study, researchers used the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan to identify 5,699 patients with type 2 diabetes and 11,226 age- and sex-matched healthy patients and compared them to “a cohort dataset of 1,000,000 randomly sampled subjects.” They analyzed the cumulative hazard of peptic ulcer bleeding between the two groups, evaluated independent risk factors for peptic ulcer bleeding in all patients in the study, and identified risk factors of peptic ulcer bleeding in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Investigators reported that, in a seven-year follow-up period, patients with type 2 diabetes “had significantly higher cumulative hazard” of peptic ulcer bleeding than controls. After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and use of ulcer medication, the researchers found that diabetes was independently associated with increased risk of peptic ulcer bleeding.

Age, chronic renal disease, history of peptic ulcer disease, and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were identified as risk factors for peptic ulcer bleeding in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Based on these results, the authors concluded that patients with type 2 diabetes have “significantly higher risk” of peptic ulcer bleeding, “even after adjustments for possible confounding factors like age, sex, underlying co-morbidities, and ulcerogenic medication.”