Clinical Profile of Patients Presenting with Upper Gastrointestinal Bleed in a Tertiary Care Hospital from South India

Background and aim Bleeding is one of the common medical emergencies in acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Geographically, there is a wide variation in the etiology. The current study was an attempt to find out the etiology of patients exhibiting upper gastrointestinal bleedingand to choose the optimal endoscopic therapy. Methodology Retrospective study was carried with a total of 100 patients presenting with upper gastro-intestinal bleeding. Patients unfit for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were excluded. Data analysis was done using R i386.3.5.1 and Microsoft Excel. Results Majority of the patients were males (87 %) and were between 36 and 60years. On clinical examination, pallor followed by hepatosplenomegaly was observed in most. Based on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, the most common etiology was esophageal varices followed by gastric and duodenal ulceration. Alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis was most common diagnosis along with portal hypertension. Conclusion Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is broadly prevalent among males, esophageal varices being the most common cause.