Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Findings in a Tertiary Centre in Pokhara: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic examination is one of the commonest procedures done in day-to-day practice in evaluating gastrointestinal problems. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy provides an excellent view of mucosal surfaces of the esophagus, stomach, and proximal duodenum. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is utilized for various diagnostic and therapeutic reasons. This study aimed to study the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy findings in a tertiary health care center in Pokhara. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital, Pokhara. After ethical approval from the institutional review board with Ref No: 070/2077/2078, endoscopic records of 889 patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy from May 2018 to April 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The convenience sampling method was used. Data entry and descriptive analysis were done in SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: A total of 889 patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during a period of 12 months period were studied. Among them, females were 472 (53.1%) and males were 417 (46.9%). The mean age of the study population was 45.6 years (SD, 16.86). The majority of the patients belonged to the age group 30 to 50 years. Gastritis was the most common finding in 452 (50.8%) cases, followed by gastroduodenal ulcer as the second commonest. CONCLUSIONS: Gastritis was the most common finding in the patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. A significant proportion of people had normal endoscopy findings. Optimal selection of cases is needed to avoid overuse in younger and encourage use in older populations.