title: Epidemiology and demographics of upper gastrointestinal bleeding: prevalence, incidence, and mortality.
abstract: Despite major advances in diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding still is a serious problem in clinical practice. Current evidence indicates that most peptic ulcer bleeding-linked deaths are not a direct sequela of the bleeding ulcer itself. Instead, mortality derives from multiorgan failure, cardiopulmonary conditions, or terminal malignancy, suggesting that improving further current treatments for the bleeding ulcer may have a limited impact on mortality unless supportive therapies are developed for the global management of these patients.
authors.affiliation: IIS Aragón, Service of Digestive Diseases, University Hospital Lozano Blesa, c/ Domingo Miral, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sostres
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lanas
mesh_terms: D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D041742:Upper Gastrointestinal Tract