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Upper and Lower GI Investigation of Elderly Patients who are Iron Deficient. American Journal of Medicine July 1999. Methods. All iron deficient patients over 70 during a thirty month period. Ferritin < 50mcg on two occasions. Anaemia was Hb<120 g/dl in women and Hb<130 in men.
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Upper and Lower GI Investigation of Elderly Patients who are Iron Deficient American Journal of Medicine July 1999
Methods • All iron deficient patients over 70 during a thirty month period. • Ferritin < 50mcg on two occasions. • Anaemia was Hb<120 g/dl in women and Hb<130 in men. • Those with a known cause were excluded.
OGD was performed on all patients. • Causes considered - • Oesophagitis with erosions or ulcers • Erosive gastritis or duodenitis • Gastric or duodenal ulcers • Anastamotic ulceration • Adenomatous polyps>1cm • Vascular ectasias • Oesophageal or gastric malignancies
Colonoscopy was then proposed and in those that didn’t have a colonoscopy a Barium enema was done. • Causes Considered - • Carcinoma • Polyps>1cm • Vascular ectasias
Patient Characteristics • 151 patients • 83 + 6 years • 96 (64%) had anaemia • 38 (25%) were male • NSAID usage was similar in both groups
Results • An upper GI lesion was found in 47 (49%) of the anaemic patients and 31 (56%) of the non anaemic patients (p=0.38) • 25Gastritis/duodenitis • 20 Erosive oesophagitis • 15 Gastric /duodenal ulcer • 3 vascular ectasia • 1 Oesophageal cancer • 4 Gastric cancers
90 patients had colonoscopy, 61 had Barium enema. • Lower GI lesion was found in 31 (32%) of the anaemic patients and 9 (16%) of the non anaemic patients (p=0.03). • 18 Carcinoma • 14 Polyps • 6 Vascular ectasia (all anaemic) • 1 Colitis
1 had adenocarcinoma of the stomach and a synchronous sigmoid carcinoma. • No causes were found on 8 small bowel studies. • 5 enteroscopies showed one jejunal ulcer and one vascular ectasia • GI symptoms had no predictive value
Lower GI lesion was found in 20% of those with -ve FOBs and 43% of those with +ve FOBs (p=0.02) • 13 of the 15 with Colonic cancer had positive FOBs
Conclusions • 66% of anaemic and 65% of non anaemic had a cause found. • Not every GI lesion identified as a potential cause would lead to deficiency. • No association between NSAIDs and causative GI lesions.
9.5% of the patients with a benign upper GI lesion also had a colonic carcinoma • GI symptoms were not a useful predictive factor.
Evaluation of the GI tract in Premenopausal Women with Iron Deficiency Anaemia American Journal of Medicine October 1998
Method • Consecutive Referrals • Hb< 11.5; Transferrin <15%; Ferritin <20 • Tested for FOB • GI symptoms assessed • Had OGD and colonoscopy and if these were normal went on to have small bowel studies
Patient Characteristics • Total 186 patients • 43.8 + 5.6 years • 12% FOB +ve • 35% NSAID usage • Hb 10.0 + 0.9 • Concomitant medical disorders in 13%
Results • 95% had OGD and colonoscopy on the same day. • Clinically important GI lesion in 23 (12%) • 7% yield from OGD • 5 Gastric cancer • 3 Gastric ulcer • 2 Duodenal ulcer • 2 Erosive gastritis
6% of yield from Colonoscopy • 6 colonic cancer • 3 Colonic polyps • 2 Ulcerative colitis • All small bowel biopsies were normal • None of the patients with colonic cancer or polyps had a positive family history
122 patients had a barium follow through and none of them had a cause found. • Abdo symptoms or +ve FOBs occurred in 77 (41%) , these were more likely to have a GI lesion (21% v6%, p=0.006) • Independent predictive factors were: • +ve FOB (OR =10, p<0.001) • Abdo symptoms (OR =3.1, p=0.04) • Hb <10 (OR =6, p=0.003)
Conclusions • May be some referral bias as these patients wee referral to a gastroenterologist. However 59% had neither symptoms nor positive FOBs. • Three patients with cancer had neither +ve FOB nor symptoms. • Endoscopy needs to be directed at higher risk groups because of vast numbers.
No patient had a lesion on both OGD and colonoscopy. • Duodenal biopsies were unhelpful.
Synchronous Upper and Lower GI Endoscopy is an effective Method of Investigating Iron Deficiency Anaemia British Journal of Surgery 1997, 84
Method • All patients with iron deficiency anaemia and no specific symptoms • Jan 1991- Jan 1995 • Hb<13 g/dl in men, Hb< 11.5 g/dl in women • MCV < 76, Ferritin< 15mcg/l • FOBs not done
Results • 89 Patients • Colonoscopy to caecum in 83 patients • 75 (84%) had a cause for anaemia found. • 25 had upper GI pathology alone • 24 had colorectal pathology alone • 26 had both upper and lower GI pathology
Upper GI lesions • 10 Peptic ulcers • 12 Upper GI malignancy • 26 Oesophagitis • 1 Barretts ulcer • 2 had coeliac disease on histology
Lower GI lesions • 31 Colonic Carcinoma • 8 Colonic Polyps • 2 Angiodysplasia • 8 Inflammatory bowel disease • 1 Ileal carcinoid • 11 patients with R. colon cancer had oesophagitis and one had gastric cancer • No cause was found in nine patients
Conclusion • In all patients but one treatment of the pathology resolved the anaemia • Symptoms were not useful in predicting findings • Results are influenced by what severity of oesophagitis is included as causative • 2 cases of jejunal carcinoma were found • Dual Pathology was common, 1/7 if oesophagitis II was excluded
Malignancy accounted for 51% of diagnosis • This is a successful way of ensuring thorough investigation but would represent a change in work load for the Endoscopy department.
Aims • All patients referred to Col. Fabricius for GI endoscopy with a main indication of anaemia between 1.1.99 and 30.09.99 • Was the GI tract appropriately investigated? • Was a diagnosis made? • Was the patient really iron deficient?
92 GI endoscopies in 65 patients. • This excludes GI bleeds. • All endoscopy reports were available. • Only 35 sets of notes could be retrieved.
Causes of Anaemia in 65 Patients Probable Possible Cancer 5 Gastritis 13 Peptic Ulcer 3 Diverticular 11 Colonic Polyps 9 Oesophagitis 4 Colitis 1 Barretts 3 Total 18 (25%) Total 31 (54%)
Investigation of Anaemia • 92 endoscopies • 44 OGDs • 48 Colonoscopies • 21 patients had OGD only • 25 patients had Colonoscopy only • 23 patients had Both • From notes of 35 patients, 19 (66%) had both upper and lower GI investigation by endoscopy or Barium X ray
Colonoscopy • 48 patients were colonoscoped • 34 (75%) visualised the whole colon • 3 were sigmoidoscopies • 11 were incomplete or reported poor views • Only three of these notes were available • 2 had barium enemas • 1 did not
35 anaemic patients with notes • 66% had both ends of the GI tract investigated by endoscopy and/or barium radiology. • OGD first 11 patients • Colonoscopy 4 patients • Simultaneous 8 patients
35 Anaemic Patients with notes • Diagnosis at colonoscopy 6 (17%) • Diagnosis at OGD 3 (8.5%) • Diagnosis at Barium 4 (11%) A diagnosis in only 35% BUT only 66% were fully investigated !
35 Anaemic patients with no notes In 22 patients in whom no diagnosis was made:- • 17 had OGD and colonoscopy • 2 had just OGD • 3 had just colonoscopy
Conclusions Symptoms are not predictive of diagnosis Both ends of the GI tract MUST be investigated If colonoscopy is incomplete then a Barium enema must be done