Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations

Abstract

Objectives: Incidence of gastrointestinal complications especially gastric bleeding increased in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGB) in patients with non-hemodialysis CRF and the patients without CRF.
Materials and methods: Seventy-six patients (55 men and 21 women) with and without CRF and UGB was included. The first group who had CRF consisted of 23 patients and the control group 53. All patients were evaluated in the view point of age, gender, smoking status, other illnesses, medicine usage, laboratory parameters, endoscopic evidence and endoscopic intervention (scleroteraphy).
Results: Calcium levels of patients with a history of previous UGB was significantly lower compared with those bleeding for the first time (p<0.05). The mean parathormon level was higher in patients with CRF (171.24 ± 141.96 pg/ml) (p<0.05). Serum albumin level was negatively correlated with urea and creatinine (p<0.001), and positively correlated with hemoglobin and hematocrit levels (p=0.003 and p=0.005). The patients undergoing sclerotherapy more frequently needed transfusions (p<0.05). The hospitalization time found to be shortening with increasing hemoglobin, hematocrit, calcium and albumin levels; and lengthens with increased urea and creatinine.
Conclusion: The history of previous gastrointestinal bleeding and detection of pathological findings in endoscopy were more frequent in patients with CRF. Gastrointestinal bleeding risk did not reduce using by gastric protection against acetylsalicylic acid and other non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Also, low albumin levels and secondary hiperparathyroidism in these patients may be risky for gastrointestinal bleeding.