Aetiology and Patterns of Presentation of Lower GI Bleeding inMakurdi, North-Central Nigeria: A Single Centre Experience

Abstract

Lower GI bleeding (LGIB) is a common presentation in clinical practice and is due to varying aetiologies with differing
prognosis. We set out to determine the aetiologies and patterns of presentation of LGIB in Madonna Hospital, an
endoscopy referral centre based in Makurdi, North-Central Nigeria. This was a retrospective study based on hospital
records spanning a 42-month period that were retrieved, and relevant data was extracted and subjected to analyses. We
observed that haemorrhoids were the most common cause of LGIB in this study with majority of the study participants
presenting electively. However, malignancies were the second most common aetiology and presented in relatively older
population. About one-quarter of the study participants presented as emergencies that required resuscitation. Other
causes of LGIB in this study include infectious, inflammatory and vascular disorders. These should be borne in mind
when evaluating patients presenting with lower GI bleeding.