Diagnostic yield of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in relation to age: retrospective analysis of 8,043 patients

The diagnostic yield of the initial endoscopy performed in 8,043 consecutive patients over a 14-year period was analyzed according to age. The mean age of women (57.4 years; 50.9% 60 years or older) was higher than that of men (50.5 years; 29.8% 60 years or older). A younger age group with a mean male age of under 50 years comprising acid-related peptic diseases or normal findings was distinguishable from an intermediate group with a mean age of between 50 and 60 years. This included patients with gastric ulcer disease, who were an average of 8 years older than duodenal ulcer patients. The highest-age group comprised gastric and esophageal cancer patients with male mean ages of 64.6 and 64.7 years, respectively. In all diagnostic categories except esophageal carcinoma, the mean age of women exceeded that of men by 2.7-10.2 years. The histological grading of gastritis also correlated closely with age, women having higher mean ages than men, and all gastritis grades in the body were associated with a higher mean age than identical grades in the antrum. These data shed additional light on the age distribution of major upper GI tract diseases, and also on the peculiarities of upper GI endoscopy in advanced age.