Retrospective analysis of patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Abstract

Aims: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is gastrointestinal bleeding that occurs in the upper gastrointestinal tract and is usually defined as bleeding originating from the esophagus, stomach or duodenum. In this study, we aimed to analyse the demographic and clinical characteristics of UGIB patients. Methods: This retrospective study included patients presenting with UGIB to our gastroenterology clinic between 2006 and 2012. Epidemiological characteristics, risk factors and the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were investigated. Results: The study included 282 patients. 200 of the patients were male and the mean age was 56 years. 47.2% of the patients presented with melena. 63.9% of the patients had one or more systemic diseases. The highest frequency of bleeding presentations occurred in May and June. The most common cause of bleeding was duodenal ulcer in 38.6%. According to Forrest classification, 73.8% of the patients had Forrest 3 ulcer. H. pylori was positive in 66.2% of the patients. Esophageal varices and fundal varices were observed in 7.3% and 1.8% of the patients, respectively. 224 (79.4%) patients received blood replacement. There was a significant difference between erythrocyte suspension replacement in patients with a history of acetylsalicylic acid use (p=0.03) and erythrocyte suspension (p=0.01) and fresh frozen plasma (p<0.001) replacement in patients with a history of warfarin use. Conclusion: This study reveals that many variables such as age, comorbidity, medication use and H. pylori infection should be taken into consideration in the clinical management of UGIB.

Keywords

• Seasonal variability
• peptic ulcer
• upper gastrointestinal bleeding

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