Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Findings of Patients Presenting with Dyspepsia - A Tertiary Care Centre Experience

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Dyspepsia is a common presenting complaintencountered in the outpatient department of general medicineand is the most common indication for upper gastrointestinalendoscopy. Aim of the study was to evaluate Upper GastroIntestinal endoscopic findings in patients presenting withdyspepsia, to find the relative occurrence of individual findingsin different age groups and to compare with earlier studies.Material and methods: This was a retrospective,observational study in GITAM Institute of Medical Sciencesand Research, a tertiary care centre, Visakhapatnam, AndhraPradesh, India. Data on patients presenting with dyspepsiaand scheduled for upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopybetween June 2018 and June 2019were collected.Results: Two hundred and seven patients with dyspepsia wereassessed by UGI endoscopy. Out of these,121 (58.4%) weremale and 86(41.5%) were female. The mean age was 43.8±14.2years. The endoscopic findings were GERD (15.4%), erosiveesophagitis (11.1%), gastritis (52.6%), duodenitis (3.3%),duodenal ulcer (4.8%), gastric ulcer (6.7%), hiatus hernia(10.2%), and mixed findings in 37.1% of patients. Gastriccancer was identified in 2.4% of patients. Endoscopy findingswere normal in 13(6.3%) patients.Conclusion: We conclude that dyspepsia is a commonindication for endoscopy. The frequency of male subjects ishigher and gastritis is the most common pathology followedby reflux esophagitis. These were associated with increasingage. GI malignancy was uncommon and higher in elderlypatients. The upper GI endoscopy is the best investigation toolfor evaluating dyspepsia. Though it is an invasive procedure,dyspeptic patients with alarm symptoms must be evaluatedwith upper GI endoscopy. Endoscopy can be avoided in mostyoung patients with dyspepsia without alarm features.