[Endoscopic findings in the upper digestive tract in patients with terminal chronic kidney failure]

We studied patients undergoing hemodialysis awaiting renal transplantation who had routine endoscopy as preoperative evaluation. Medical histories of 71 patients transplanted between 1982-1989 were reviewed retrospectively in order to determine the results of the upper gastrointestinal lesions. At the time of the endoscopy the predictive variables studied were: age, sex, BUN, creatinine, hemoglobin, hematocrit, calcium and time on hemodialysis. The patients were divided in two groups: those with lesions and a control group without lesions. The comparison between the two groups was done using unpaired t-test for continual variables, X2 for dichotomous variables and p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Thirty two patients (45%) had lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract, in the esophagus: 17%, stomach 30% and duodenum: 23%. Age was the only predictive variables statistically significant for gastric lesions. We conclude that gastrointestinal lesions are frequent in patients with end stage renal failure. The gastric lesions were the most frequent and appeared in older patients. We recommend endoscopic studies in all end stage renal failure patients as part of the pre transplant evaluation. We also suggest endoscopy as follow up after transplantation.