Comorbid Illness and Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

The main causes of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) are thought to be nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) use and Helicobacter pylori infection. The presence of nongastrointestinal comorbid conditions is associated with worse prognosis in patients with UGIB, but is it a risk factor for bleeding?

Using primary care, secondary care, and hospitalization databases in the U.K., investigators identified 16,355 adults with a first nonvariceal UGIB between April 1997 and August 2010. Each case-patient was matched by age, sex, year, and practice to five controls. Risk factors for UGIB were extracted and modeled using logistic regression. Nongastrointestinal comorbid conditions — defined using the Charlson index — were identif…