title: Etiology and prevalence of severe persistent upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
abstract: A prospective study was undertaken to establish the etiology and prevalence of episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding which are severe and persistent. During a 12-mo study period, 175 patients had one or more episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Thirty-six (20.6%) of the 175 patients had bleeding that was classified as severe and persistent. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding that occurred more than 24 h after admission was more apt to persist than bleeding that was a presenting complaint (32.4% vs. 12.8%, p less than 0.001). Bleeding due to esophageal varices was the single most common cause. Although the majority of upper gastrointestinal bleeding episodes are self-limited, about one-fifth are not. Studies to evaluate the many new therapeutic modalities for upper gastrointestinal bleeding should attempt to exclude patients whose bleeding will abate spontaneously.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000150:complications; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000150:complications; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010438:Peptic Ulcer Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000150:complications; D013997:Time Factors