Main Article Content
Diagnostic indications for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
Abstract
Background/Aim: Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy now assumes a prominent role in the diagnosis and therapy of upper GI diseases. Some indications for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy include dyspepsia, dysphagia, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. This study aimed to review the diagnostic indications for upper GI endoscopy in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Edo state.
Methods: A review of the diagnostic indications for upper GI endoscopy was undertaken to cover a six-year period from February 2006 to December 2011. The biodata of the patients who had diagnostic upper GI endoscopy during this period and the diagnostic indications for which they had the procedure were obtained from the endoscopy register of the endoscopy unit.
Results: A total of 744 patients were reviewed during the study period. The mean age of the patients was 50.87 years and most of the patients were in the sixth (20.2%) and seventh (19.6%) decades of life. There were 342 (46.0%) males and 402 (54.0%) females giving a male to female ratio of 1:1.2. The major diagnostic indications for upper GI endoscopy were dyspepsia (33.1%), upper GI bleeding (29.3%), and peptic ulcer disease (20.0%). Other diagnostic indications were gastro-oesophageal reflux disease - GERD (3.6%), gastric cancer (3.5%), dysphagia (2.3%), gastric outlet obstruction (2.2%) and chronic anaemia (1.2%). Persistent vomiting, gastritis, rectal bleeding, globus, early satiety, unexplained weight loss, chronic liver disease, epigastric mass, odynophagia, gastric polyp and oesophageal cancer occurred in less than 1% of patients each.
Conclusion: This study clearly identified dyspepsia as the commonest diagnostic indication for upper GI endoscopy. The indications were similar to findings from other centers.
Methods: A review of the diagnostic indications for upper GI endoscopy was undertaken to cover a six-year period from February 2006 to December 2011. The biodata of the patients who had diagnostic upper GI endoscopy during this period and the diagnostic indications for which they had the procedure were obtained from the endoscopy register of the endoscopy unit.
Results: A total of 744 patients were reviewed during the study period. The mean age of the patients was 50.87 years and most of the patients were in the sixth (20.2%) and seventh (19.6%) decades of life. There were 342 (46.0%) males and 402 (54.0%) females giving a male to female ratio of 1:1.2. The major diagnostic indications for upper GI endoscopy were dyspepsia (33.1%), upper GI bleeding (29.3%), and peptic ulcer disease (20.0%). Other diagnostic indications were gastro-oesophageal reflux disease - GERD (3.6%), gastric cancer (3.5%), dysphagia (2.3%), gastric outlet obstruction (2.2%) and chronic anaemia (1.2%). Persistent vomiting, gastritis, rectal bleeding, globus, early satiety, unexplained weight loss, chronic liver disease, epigastric mass, odynophagia, gastric polyp and oesophageal cancer occurred in less than 1% of patients each.
Conclusion: This study clearly identified dyspepsia as the commonest diagnostic indication for upper GI endoscopy. The indications were similar to findings from other centers.
