CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING TREATED AT JARAMOGI OGINGA ODINGA TEACHING AND REFERRAL HOSPITAL KISUMU, KENYA.

Abstract

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality worldwide and acute UGIB is a common medical emergency seen by gastroenterologists. It has an incidence ranging from 50 to 150/100,000 population per annum and an overall mortality rate of 6%–10% which can be up to 30% in Sub-Saharan Africa. UGIB is four times more common than lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleed and is seen more commonly in males and the elderly. UGIB is often classified as variceal and nonvariceal because of the differences in their management strategies and prognosis. Worldwide, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is the most common cause of UGIB accounting for approximately 50% of cases followed by esophageal varices. However, studies have shown that esophageal varices are the most common cause in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Other major causes of UGIB include gastritis, esophagitis, duodenitis, Mallory Weiss tear, and upper GI malignancies. Identification of the cause of UGIB is important in the management of patients. Upper GI endoscopy is the preferred choice of investigation for evaluating patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding since it is both diagnostic and therapeutic. Although this type of bleeding is common, it has not been described in the Western Kenya region in terms of its clinical data and demographic profile hence, there is a need, therefore, to look at the clinical and demographic characteristics of UGIB to add to the existing knowledge for effective management of UGIB in our setting. The objective of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding treated at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital. The study design that will be employed here for the purpose of achieving the above objectives is retrospective cross-sectional study where records of patients who have been treated for the disease, both in the medical and surgical ward, will be reviewed and have their clinical and demographic data collected for those who meet the criteria for this study. The study will be carried out between August 1st, 2023, to July 31st 2024 with the data collected via already pretested questionnaire, analyzed using descriptive statistics, and presented using pie and bar charts within that duration of study.