title: Endoscopic evaluation of upper abdominal symptoms in adult patients, Saudi Aramco-Ai Hasa Health Center, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: Upper oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopies (UGI endoscopies) were performed on adult patients who attended Saudi Aramco Health Centre at Al Hasa, Saudi Arabia, between June 1986 and December 1993, with complaint of upper abdominal pain. During this period, three hundred and fifteen (315) patients were examined. Sixty one percent were females and the rest males. Peptic ulcer disease including gastritis was the most common diagnosis made. Helicobacter pylori-like organisms were documented historically in biopsy samples in 113 of 178 (63%) patients. Nearly all were associated with gastritis; no organisms were reported in normal histology specimens. This confirms the association of this organism with gastritis. Gastric cancer suspected radiologically were not confirmed endoscopically or histologically. It is important to endoscope and biopsy for histology suspected gastric cancer and ulcer; a negative result may save the patient from unnecessary surgery, ideally all normal looking gastric mucosa should be biopsied so that histological gastritis is not missed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Nkrumah
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis