AETIOLOGY OF UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL HAEMORRHAGE IN MEDICAL WARDS

432 patients were endoscoped for upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Duodenal ulcer was the commonest cause which accounted for 35.2% of the total cases. Oesophageal varices were found in 16.6% while gastric erosions were responsible for 11.6% cases. Other relatively less common causes include severe oesophagitis (5.8%), carcinoma stomach (2.8%) and benign gastic ulcers (3.5%). 21% of the patients had no demonstrable lesion in the upper gastrointestinal tract.