Endoscopic Findings in Patients Presenting with Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Internal Medicine
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a frequent and serious medical emergency.
• Emergency physicians commonly manage patients with UGIB.
• Endoscopic findings are crucial for diagnosing the cause of UGIB.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the endoscopic findings in patients presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
• To identify the primary causes of UGIB through endoscopic examination.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study design.
• Analysis of endoscopy records from the Department of Gastroenterology, Ghulam Mohammad Maher Hospital, Sukkur.
• Data collected from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018.

Main Results:

• A total of 203 patients (100 males, 103 females) underwent endoscopy.
• The mean age was 41.03 ± 14.94 years.
• Esophageal varices were the most common finding (65%), predominantly in males (68%).
• Other findings included gastric erosions (10%), antral gastritis (9%), pangastritis (6.4%), and peptic ulcer disease (5.8%).

Conclusions:

• Variceal bleeding is the leading endoscopic diagnosis in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
• Gastric and esophageal mucosal erosions represent less frequent causes of UGIB.