Predictors of active and recurrent bleeding in upper gastrointestinal angiodysplasia: Results from 10-year esophagogastroduodenoscopy of a tertiary center in Taiwan

Upper gastrointestinal angiodysplasia (UGIA) is a unique mucosal vascular lesion that causes acute or recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding. Despite the increasing incidence of UGIA, the risk factors for bleeding in this condition remain unclear. We investigated the predictors of active and recurrent bleeding among patients with UGIA. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 104,086 patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) at the Tri-Service General Hospital in Taiwan between October 2011 and September 2021. UGIA was diagnosed in 112 patients, and the data from these patients were comprehensively analyzed. EGD documented UGIA in 112 patients, which corresponded with an overall diagnostic yield of 1.1%. Active bleeding was documented in 28 (25%) patients. Patients in the active bleeding group were older than the patients in the asymptomatic group (71.6 ± 11.7-years vs 61.3 ± 18.5-years). Most of the UGIA lesions were singular and measured 2 to 5 mm. Nearly 1-quarter of the patients (24.1%) underwent endoscopic hemostasis, and rebleeding occurred in 6 (21.4%) patients during the follow-up period. Multivariate analysis identified diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and lesions in the duodenum as significant risk factors for active bleeding (P = .019; P = .006; P = .004). Our cohort study provided real-world data on the clinical and endoscopic features of UGIA. DM, CKD, and lesions in the duodenum were independent predictors of active bleeding.