A Comparative Study of Variceal and Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Prospective Study

This prospective study analyzed 320 patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) to compare variceal (VUGIB) and nonvariceal (NVUGIB) cases. No significant sex - based differences were found (p=0.6), but the mean age of NVUGIB patients was significantly higher (p=0.01). While hematemesis and melena were similar between groups, rectal bleeding, hematemesis with rectal bleeding, and chronic anemia were significantly different (p=0.007, p=0.02, and p=0.01, respectively). Endoscopic findings indicated that cirrhosis was more common in VUGIB patients (95.48% vs.12.72%, p<0.0001), whereas NSAID use was higher in NVUGIB patients (46.66% vs.0%, p<0.0001). The clinical outcomes, including discharge and rebleeding rates, were not significantly different (p=0.13). These findings highlight the need for early identification and targeted management of high - risk UGIB patients.