Clinical and Endoscopic Profile of Patients with Uninvestigated Dyspepsia: Experience from a Single Center
Background: Dyspepsia is undoubtedly one of the most common complaints that primary care physicians and gastroenterologists encounter in their clinical practice and encompasses a constellation of symptoms localized to the upper abdomen. While majority of these patients have “functional dyspepsia” with no endoscopic abnormality to account for their symptoms, benign conditions such as peptic ulcer disease and reflux esophagitis are the most common endoscopic lesions noted in “organic dyspepsia.” Aim: The aim of the study was to study the clinical and endoscopic profile of patients presenting with uninvestigated dyspepsia (patients with new or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms in whom no investigations have previously been undertaken) at our center. Materials and Methods:: A hospital-based retrospective observational study which included both inpatient and outpatient population over a period of 2 years, from December 2014 to November 2016. Patients’ charts from our hospital database were reviewed and data with regard to demographic variables, clinical and endoscopic profile of patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia was analyzed. Results A total of 280 patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). The mean age of our study population was 45.2 years with 162 (58%) male and 118 (42%) female patients. The most common symptom was post-prandial fullness seen in 132 patients (47%). Endoscopy was reported as normal in 179 patients (64%) while 101 patients (36%) had an abnormal endoscopic finding with duodenal ulcer being the most common endoscopic abnormality (7.9%), followed by erosive gastritis (6.7%), reflux esophagitis (6.1%), gastric ulcer (3.9%), varioliform gastritis (3.2%), and esophageal/gastroesophageal junction malignancy (2.85%). Elderly (?50 years) patients with alarm symptoms such as weight loss, dysphagia, and/or anemia had a higher incidence of malignancy. Conclusion About two-thirds (64%) of our study population had functional o