| dc.description.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. | en_US |
