Indications and Findings of Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Elderly Patients in Parakou, Republic of Benin

Introduction: Elderly people are considered fragile and at greater risk of having malignant gastrointestinal tumors. The objective of this work was to report the reasons for performing gastrointestinal endoscopy and the lesions found during the endoscopy of this target population in Parakou. Patients and Study Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study with a retrospective collection of data from January 2016 to December 2017, then from January 2020 to December 2021. It took place in the Regional Teaching Hospital of Borgou-Alibori in Parakou and in the private gastrointestinal endoscopy center of Parakou (Northern Gastrointestinal Exploration Center). All patients aged at least 60 years who had undergone an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during the study period were included. The variables studied were: the sex, age, indications for the examination, endoscopic lesions and data from the anatomo-pathological examination. Results: In total, out of 1540 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies performed during the study period, 249 (16.17%) involved patients aged 60 years and over. The sex ratio was 1.26. The main indication for the examination was epigastric pain (123 cases, i.e. 49.40%) followed by vomiting (53 cases, i.e. 21.29%). In terms of lesions, non-tumorous gastropathy came first in the stomach (206 cases, i.e. 82.73%) while esophageal lesions were dominated by esophageal candidiasis and cardial incompetence (39 cases, i.e. 15.66% in each of the two situations). In the duodenum, ulcer was noted in 30 patients (12.05%). In 38 patients, 12 (31.58%) were tested positive for Helicobacter pylori infection. Cancers of the gastrointestinal tract were confirmed in 11 patients (4.42%). Conclusion: Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy remains an excellent examination for the exploration of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In Parakou, epigastric pain represents the main indication for this examination in subjects over 60 years of age. Inflammatory or ulcerated non-tumorous gastropathy is the most commonly endoscopic lesion. Esophageal and gastric cancers are less common in this population group according to our study.