20 The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine : Vol. 23, No. 1, March 2008 was decreased in patients with severe liver cirrhosis, peptic ulcer disease was increased. Based on our observations and those of others, we hypothesize that H. pylori may not be a main cause of peptic ulcer disease in cirrhotic patients6). The followings are major findings of our study: (1) Even though the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease was increased in patients with liver cirrhosis, H. pylori infection rate in peptic ulcer disease patients with cirrhosis was significantly lower than that in patients without chronic liver disease. (2) The prevalence of H. pylori infection did not differ in patients with liver cirrhosis, whether there was peptic ulcer or no. (3) Although the prevalence of H. pylori infection decreased with Child's class progression, the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease did not change. 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