Epidemiology of Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage in the USA: Is the Bleeding Slowing Down?

Excerpt

Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage is a frequent gastrointestinal emergency accounting for > 250,000 hospitalizations annually in the USA [1]. Traditionally, upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage has been divided into non-variceal and variceal, due to the significantly different prognosis associated with each category. The last two decades have witnessed major advances in upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage preventive and treatment modalities, including the discovery of Helicobacter pylori, the widespread use of proton pump inhibitors, and the development of novel endoscopic and radiologic hemostatic techniques. Countering these positive developments during the same time period has been the unprecedented widespread use of antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulants, [2] in addition to an epidemic of obesity and opioid abuse, all of which are risk factors for variceal and non-variceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. …