The impact of age and sex on the occurrence of pathology in the wall of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

INTRODUCTION

The growing incidence of gastrointestinal diseases forces to improve both imaging techniques and the identification of the population with a greater risk of a disease. Identification of lesions located inside the wall of intestinal tract or in close proximity often was not possible using endoscopy or computed tomography.

AIM

The study was a retrospective evaluation of the occurrence of submucosal lesions (SML) and thickened wall (TW) of the upper gastrointestinal tract (UGIT) depending on age and sex.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Out of 20012 gastroscopies during the 4-year follow-up study, we enrolled 199 patients with pathological lesions in the wall of the UGIT. All patients underwent computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

RESULTS

We analysed a total of 122 (78 males, 44 females, age: 64.0 ±12.9 years) out of 187 patients. 23.91% of SML in the oesophagus, 56.52% in the stomach, and 19.57% in the duodenum. A higher number of SMLs was found in men than in women (57.14% vs. 40.45%, = 0.023), and the difference was greater over 50 years of age (85.71% vs. 40.00%, = 0.031). We found less malignant SMLs compared to benign (35.87% vs. 64.13%, = 0.026), especially in women (22.86% vs. 47.46%, = 0.006). 26.67% of TW were in the oesophagus, 66.67% in the stomach, and 6.67% in the duodenum. There was a tendency towards increased incidence of TW over 50 years of age (8.58% vs. 18.30%, = 0.074), which concerned men in particular (24.10% vs. 11.43%, = 0.043). Until 65 years of age, these differences were significant for the oesophagus (27.27% vs. 0.00%, = 0.044) and the stomach (25.93% vs. 4.00%, = 0.029). As many as 70% of TW pathologies were malignant.

CONCLUSIONS

Submucosal lesions and TW of the upper gastrointestinal tract account for 0.61% of performed gastroscopies. They occur in men and usually over 50 years of age.