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Amnah Al Hanaei,1 Fatima AlKindi,2 Aysha Alkhemeiri,2 Satish Chandrasekhar Nair3 1Division of Gastroenterology, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 3Department of Academic Affairs, Tawam Hospital & the College of Medicine UAE University, Al Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesCorrespondence: Satish Chandrasekhar Nair, Department of Academic Affairs, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, Tel +97137074736, Email satchi2000@outlook.comIntroduction: Gastrointestinal bleeding in COVID-19-infection poses unique challenges to patients owing to the high risk of concomitant respiratory failure. However, endoscopic care providers are prone to transmission. This study aimed to understand the risk and management outcomes of gastrointestinal bleeding in COVID-19-infected patients.Methods: Data were abstracted from electronic patient medical records, using ICD 10 codes, and demographic and clinical data were collected, for COVID-19-infected patients who developed gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Complications related to COVID-19 infection and management outcomes of GI bleeding were studied. Statistically, descriptive analysis was used because of the small sample size.Results: Eighteen COVID-19-infected patients developed episodes of GI bleeding, yielding a prevalence of 0.45%. Their mean age was 74.8 years, 55.5% were female, and 66.6% of patients (n=12) had upper GI bleeding symptoms, predominantly melena (55.5%), followed by coffee ground nasogastric aspirates (n=2). Only two patients (11.11%) had episodes of lower GI bleeding, and the remaining four patients (22.2%) had recurrent acute anemia requiring blood transfusion. The Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS) at presentation ranged between 6 to 16 (mean 8.8) and seven patients (38.8%) underwent endoscopic evaluation for GI bleeding. The predominant comorbid conditions included hypertension (22.2%), diabetes mellitus (27.7%), chronic kidney disease (50%), ischemic heart disease (33%), atrial fibrillation (11.1%), and peripheral vascular disease (11.1%). The median hospitalization was 24.6 days (range: 3– 54 days). The 30-day mortality rate in our cohort was 22.2%, (4/18) mainly noted in older patients aged> 60 years with comorbid conditions and severe COVID-19 infection.Conclusion: The prevalence of GI bleeding observed in our cohort was approximately 0.45%, significantly lower than the global prevalence observed, majority (66%) had upper GI bleeding. The exact reasons for the observed low prevalence of GI bleeding cannot be explained and will be the subject of future research.Plain Language Summary: Stomach bleeding in COVID-19-infected patients is a significant threat to the patients. This study aimed to understand the risk and management of stomach bleeding in patients infected with COVID-19. Medical records were retrospectively screened using appropriate disease codes to identify patients and collect information about their demographics and complications. Only 18 patients with stomach bleeding presented to the public hospitals in Al Ain from a total of 4000 COVID-19 patients during the peak of the pandemic. Majority of the patients had upper stomach bleeding (66%); the mean age of the patients was 78 years, majority of them being female (55.5%). The major comorbidity among the patients was chronic kidney disease (50%). The average duration of hospital stay was less than 25 days and the 30-day mortality was 22%. A higher mortality rate was observed in elderly patients with severe infections. The stomach bleeding observed in our patients was far less (0.45%) that in other COVID-19 patients globally, the reasons for which are not unknown.Keywords: pandemic, Gulf, United Arab Emirates, endoscopy, medical therapy, Middle East |
