Dyspepsia is a common
gastrointestinal disorder and is the most common indication for upper
gastrointestinal endoscopy [UGIE]. In recent years, it has been observed in several centers that there is a change in the causes of
dyspepsia as revealed by UGIE. Our main objectives were [1] To study the pattern of upper gastrointestinal
pathology in
patients with
dyspepsia undergoing upper
endoscopy; [2] Compare that with the pattern seen 10-15 years earlier in different areas of KSA.
Retrospective study of all UGI endoscopies performed at Aseer Central
Hospital, Abha, Southern
Saudi Arabia during the years 2005-2007 on
patients above 13 years of age.
Patients who underwent UGIE for reasons other than
dyspepsia were excluded. The
analysis was performed using the SPSS 14 statistical package. A total of 1, 607
patients underwent UGI
endoscopy during the three-year study period [age range, 15-100]. There were 907
males [56.4%] and 700
female [43.6%]. Normal findings were reported on 215
patients [14%] and the majority had
gastritis [676 = 42%], of whom 344 had
gastritis with
ulcer disease. Moreover, 242
patients [15%] had
gastro-esophageal reflux [
GERD], with or without
esophagitis or
hiatus hernia. Also, a total of 243
patients had
duodenal ulcer [DU] [15%] while only 12 had
gastric ulcer [0.7%]. There is clear change in the frequency of UGIE lesions detected recently compared to a decade ago with an increasing
prevalence of
reflux esophagitis and
hiatus hernia. This could be attributed to changes in
lifestyle and
dietary habits such as more
consumption of fat and
fast food, increased
prevalence of
obesity, and
smoking. These problems should be addressed in order to minimize the serious
complications of
esophageal diseases