Etiological Spectrum of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Single-Center Study from Northen East Part of India

Background: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a common gastrointestinal emergency that can result in significant morbidity and mortality. However, data from this part of India are lacking.

Method: Retrospective analysis of data of patients admitted in hospital and those who attended Outpatient Department of Gastroenterology unit between January 2021 and January 2024.

Result: Three hundred patients presented with upper gastrointestinal bleed (UGIB). Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was done in all patients. Of these, 237 (79%) were males while 63 (21%) were females (male:female ratio of 3.9:1). The mean age of the patients was 53.7 ± 14.7 years (range: 14–87 years). The most common cause of UGIB was variceal bleed [n = 156 (49.36%)] [esophageal varices (n = 142, 44.93%) + gastric varices (n = 14, 4.43%)], followed by peptic ulcer disease (PUD) [n = 72 (22.77%)] [duodenal ulcers (n = 43, 13.6%), gastric ulcers (n = 29, 9.17%)]. Less common causes were erosive mucosal diseases: gastritis/duodenitis in 21 (6.64%), portal hypertensive gastropathy in 21 (6.64%), gastric polyps in 12 (3.79%), esophagitis in 10 (3.16%), gastric-antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) in 8 (2.53%), Mallory–Weiss tear in 7 (2.21%), gastric tumor in 2 (0.63%), esophageal cancer in 1 (0.31%), pseudo-aneurysm in 1 (0.31%), and 5 patients (1.58%) had normal endoscopy.

Conclusion: Variceal bleeding is the most common cause of UGIB followed by peptic ulcer disease among our patients. Middle-aged male patients were the most commonly affected group.

Publication History

Article published online:
22 April 2024