Aetiology and Patterns of Presentation of Lower GI Bleeding in Makurdi, North-Central Nigeria: A Single Centre Experience
Keywords:
Haemorrhoidal bleeding, Colonoscopy, Colorectal cancer, Lower GI bleedingAbstract
Lower GI bleeding (LGIB) is a common presentation in clinical practice and is due to varying aetiologies with differing prognosis. We set out to determine the aetiologies and patterns of presentation of LGIB in Madonna Hospital, an
endoscopy referral centre based in Makurdi, North-Central Nigeria. This was a retrospective study based on hospital records spanning a 42-month period that were retrieved, and relevant data was extracted and subjected to analyses. We observed that haemorrhoids were the most common cause of LGIB in this study with majority of the study participants presenting electively. However, malignancies were the second most common aetiology and presented in relatively older population. About one-quarter of the study participants presented as emergencies that required resuscitation. Other
causes of LGIB in this study include infectious, inflammatory and vascular disorders. These should be borne in mind when evaluating patients presenting with lower GI bleeding.
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