Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the Teaching Hospital Campus Of Lome (Togo)

Abstract

Background: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding are common, and the underlying diseases varies widely. Colonoscopy is the gold standard investigation for lower gastrointestinal bleeding. It helps in the proper diagnosis and the appropriate management of the underlying lesions. Aim: To determine the epidemiologic characteristics and to investigate the etiology of lower gastrointestinal in a large tertiary endoscopic center. Methods: A colonoscopy database in a tertiary endoscopic center was searched to determine all patients with the indication of LGIB. The data, including patients’ sex, age, endoscopic and pathological findings, were collected and analyzed. The data obtained was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Descriptive statistics used included frequency tables, means and standard deviations. Results: A total of 180 patients were included in the study, consisting of 114(63.3%) males and 66 (36.7%) females (Table 1). The male to female ration was 1.7 with a mean age of 54 years (SD 15 years). Most of our patients (55.6%) were inpatients, The majority of them (95%) presented hematochezia or melena (5%). The most common colonoscopy fundings of LGIB in our study were hemorrhoids (31.1%), diverticulosis (18.9%) and colorectal cancer (8.3%). The hemorrhoids were internal (59%), and external (41%), The internal hemorrhoids were grade 1 (9,1%) grade 2 (9,1%) and grade 3 (81,8%). For diverticular disease, the right-side-only pattern and the left-side-only pattern were most commonly reported (respectively; 41.2% and 35.3%). Colitis was represented in 30.7% of cases by ulcerative colitis, mainly in patients with a mean age of 47 ± 14 years Conclusion: Based on the etiological profile, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis and colorectal cancer were the leading causes with a male preponderance.