The global epidemiology of upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding in general population:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal bleeding(GIB)is a common and potentially life-threatening clinical event.To date,the literature on the long-term global epidemiology of GIB has not been systematically reviewed.AIM To systematically review the published literature on the worldwide epidemiology of upper and lower GIB.METHODS EMBASE®and MEDLINE were queried from 01 January 1965 to September 17,2019 to identify population-based studies reporting incidence,mortality,or casefatality rates of upper GIB(UGIB)or lower GIB(LGIB)in the general adult population,worldwide.Relevant outcome data were extracted and summarized(including data on rebleeding following initial occurrence of GIB when available).All included studies were assessed for risk of bias based upon reporting guidelines.RESULTS Of 4203 retrieved database hits,41 studies were included,comprising a total of around 4.1 million patients with GIB worldwide from 1980–2012.Thirty-three studies reported rates for UGIB,four for LGIB,and four presented data on both.Incidence rates ranged from 15.0 to 172.0/100000 person-years for UGIB,and from 20.5 to 87.0/100000 person-years for LGIB.Thirteen studies reported on temporal trends,generally showing an overall decline in UGIB incidence over time,although a slight increase between 2003 and 2005 followed by a decline was shown in 5/13 studies.GIB-related mortality data were available from six studies for UGIB,with rates ranging from 0.9 to 9.8/100000 person-years,and from three studies for LGIB,with rates ranging from 0.8 to 3.5/100000 person-years.Casefatality rate ranged from 0.7%to 4.8%for UGIB and 0.5%to 8.0%for LGIB.Rates of rebleeding ranged from 7.3%to 32.5%for UGIB and from 6.7%to 13.5%for LGIB.Two main areas of potential bias were the differences in the operational GIB definition used and inadequate information on how missing data were handled.CONCLUSION Wide variation was seen in estimates of GIB epidemiology,likely due to high heterogeneity between studies however,UGIB showed a decreasing trend over the years.Epidemiological data were more widely available for UGIB than for LGIB.

Risk factors for major gastrointestinal bleeding in the general population in Finland

BACKGROUND Data on non-drug related risk-factors for gastrointestinal bleeding(GIB)in the general population are limited,especially for life-style factors,clinical measurements and laboratory parameters.AIM To identify and investigate non-drug risk factors for major GIB in the general population of Finland.METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the FINRISK health examination surveys,which have been conducted every 5 years across Finland from 1987 to 2007.Participants were adults aged 25 years to 74 years,excluding those with a previous hospitalization for GIB.Follow-up from enrollment was performed through linkage to national electronic health registers and ended at an event of GIB that led to hospitalization/death,death due to any other cause,or after 10 years.Covariates included demographics,socioeconomic and lifestyle factors,clinical measurements,laboratory parameters and comorbidities.Variable selection was undertaken using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator(LASSO)and factors associated with GIB were identified using Cox regression.RESULTS Among 33,508 participants,403(1.2%)experienced GIB[256 men(63.5%);mean age,56.0 years(standard deviation(SD)±12.1)]and 33105 who did not experience GIB[15768 men(47.6%);mean age,46.8(SD±13)years],within 10 years of follow-up.Factors associated with a significantly increased risk of GIB were baseline age[per 10-year increase;hazard ratio(HR)1.62,95%confidence interval(CI):1.42-1.86],unemployment(HR:1.70,95%CI:1.11-2.59),body mass index(BMI)(HR:1.15,95%CI:1.01-1.32),gamma-glutamyl transferase(GGT)(HR:1.05,95%CI:1.02-1.09),precursors of GIB(HR:1.90,95%CI:1.37-2.63),cancer(HR:1.47,95%CI:1.10-1.97),psychiatric disorders(HR:1.32,95%CI:1.01-1.71),heart failure(HR:1.46,95%CI:1.04-2.05),and liver disorders(HR:3.20,95%CI:2.06-4.97).Factors associated with a significantly decreased risk of GIB were systolic blood pressure(SBP)(HR:0.78,95%CI:0.64-0.96),6-10 cups of coffee a day(HR:0.67,95%CI:0.46-0.99),or>10 cups(HR:0.43,95%CI:0.23-0.81).CONCLUSION Our study confirms established risk-factors for GIB and identifies potential risk-factors not previously reported such as unemployment,BMI,GGT,SBP and coffee consumption.