WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

*Maria Adnan Naamah, Zeina Alkilany, Ali Ibrahim and Ali Mohamed

ABSTRACT

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in children, although uncommon, can be life-threatening. The purpose of the present study is to review the causes of gastrointestinal bleeding in pediatric patients according to age, determine the endoscopic findings in these children, and highlight of the important role of gastrointestinal endoscopy. Methods: A three-year prospective cross-sectional study included 150 children with upper or lower GI bleeding aged between 1 month and 14 years, who had referred to the pediatric gastrointestinal center at Tishreen University Hospital, Lattakia, Syria over 3 years from June 2017 to June 2020.Patients were categorized as infants, pre-school aged, school-aged, and adolescents. Each patient underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy and/or colonoscopy and several mucosal biopsies were taken. History and clinical information as well as endoscopy and pathology findings were reported. Results: The results showed that erosive gastritis was the most common upper endoscopic finding, and rectal colon polyp was the most common colonoscopic finding. HP related Gastritis and juvenile polyp were the most common causes of upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Cow’s milk protein intolerance was the most common cause of gastrointestinal bleeding in the younger age group (under 2 years), and Inflammatory Bowel Disease is becoming more common at younger ages. Conclusion: Causes of gastrointestinal bleeding in children are multiple, thus specific etiologies at different age groups should be kept in mind, while assessing pediatric patients with Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

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