| Theme |
Topics of Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage |
| Title |
Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Bleeding |
| Author |
Satoshi Tanabe |
Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Katsuhiko Higuchi |
Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Tohru Sasaki |
Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Chikatoshi Katada |
Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Mizutomo Azuma |
Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Wasaburo Koizumi |
Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Katsunori Saigenji |
Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
Gastrointestinal bleeding is a long-recognized condition often encountered in clinical practice. The advent of emergency endoscopy has facilitated early, definitive diagnosis. Studies performed outside of Japan have reported that the prevalence rate of gastrointestinal bleeding is 50 to 150 per 100,000 persons. Peptic ulcer is the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. In Japan,gastric ulcer is the most common cause. The future growth of the elderly population will most likely lead to an increased prevalence of gastrointestinal injury induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin. The use of low-dose aspirin is considered to increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding by about 2 to 5 times. With new developments in capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy, the prevalence of NSAIDs-related small intestinal lesions has been found to be higher than initially estimated. The prevalence of colonic injury caused by aspirin and other NSAIDs is also expected to increase. |