Abstract
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the common indications and findings of upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy in patients presenting to King Fahd Central Hospital (KFCH) in Gizan town Southwest Saudi Arabia, and to furthermore, determine the associations between them and the common endoscopic findings and some selected clinical and demographic variables.
Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out at KFCH over an 11 year period from 1994 to 2005. All patients (3287), age of 12 years and above referred for endoscopy unit were enrolled in this study. Standardized form (sheet) was used to collect all relevant data including age, gender, and indications for the procedure, clinical examination and endoscopic findings.
Results: A total of 3287 patients were included in the study with a mean age of 45.3 years (SD +/- 18.4); males patients comprised 70.1%. Indications for upper GI endoscopy included upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding (23.3%), with a significant difference between males and females (p-value = 0.000), Epigastric pain (15.7%), Acid Peptic Disease (APD) (14.4%), Dyspepsia (7.5%) and regular follow-up (6.5%). Among patients who underwent UGI E, (21.3%) had normal endoscopic findings. Three common findings were; Oesoph Varices (15.2%), Gastritis (14.0%) and Oesophagitis (10%). Gender and age of patient were associated with a significantly high risk of Oesoph. Varices (OR=3.43 and 1.95 respectively; p-value< 0.001 for all).
Conclusion: The results of the study suggested that UGI bleeding was the main indication for UGI E in the vast majority of our patients. In addition to that three common diseases; Oesophageal Varices, Gastritis and Oesophagitis were the main findings of the UGI E among the study population. Preventive measures should be adopted to cope with the situation and to prevent complications of esophageal and gastritis diseases among the Gizan population.