An Epidemiological Study of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding at Department of Medicine, Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital

Background: Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is one of the most common problems at Department of Medicine, Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital. It is considered as an emergent and life threatening condition. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy is the mainstay for diagnosis and treatment of upper GI bleeding. Objective: To study an epidemiology of upper GI bleeding patients and endoscopic results. Patients & Methods: The eligible patients were investigated by esophagogastroduodenoscopy because of upper GI bleeding during January and December, 2007. Results: The total numbers of  942  patients were included in this study. We found that male to female ratio was 2:1. The most presenting symptoms were hematemesis and melena. Known risk factors were identified, including alcoholic drinking, and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) usage. Three most common causes of upper GI bleeding were gastric ulcer, esophageal varices, and duodenal ulcer (35.4, 19.7, and 13.5 percent, respectively). Furthermore, Helicobacter pylori was found in 40.0 percent of duodenal ulcer patients and 28.6 percent of gastric ulcer patients. Conclusions: Upper GI endoscopy is still the necessary method for investigating the causes of upper GI bleeding. Key words: upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, epidemiology