Gastrointestinal pathology in patients with chronic renal failure associated with spinal cord injury

Clinical and histological data on 23 consecutive patients with end stage renal disease associated with spinal cord injury were reviewed. They had been maintained on hemodialysis for a mean duration of 17 months. Various gastrointestinal abnormalities were detected in 20 patients. Thirteen patients (56%) were found to have secondary amyloidosis involving the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence of peptic ulcer disease and cholelithiasis were both higher than that reported in postmortem examinations of the general population.