Context and Definition

Context

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage is a common presentation to the emergency department, and accounts for approximately 50-70,000 admissions per year.

The overall incidence of acute upper GI bleeding in the UK ranges from 84-172 per 100,000 of the population per year. Incidence is highest in the elderly, and lower socioeconomic groups.

Despite changes in medical management, mortality has remained at around 10% for the last fifty years. [1]

Definition

An upper GI haemorrhage can be defined as any bleeding which occurs from a source proximal to the ligament of Treitz [2]. This is the suspensory ligament of the duodenum that marks the duodenojejunal junction.

Common causes of upper GI bleeding in the UK are shown in the chart above.

Peptic ulcer disease is the most common cause of upper GI bleeding, accounting for just over half of its hospital admissions. [3]