Causal factors of infant gastrointestinal bleeding. Provincial Pediatric Hospital "Pepe Portilla"

Abstract

There are few data on the frequency of gastrointestinal tract bleeding in pediatrics. Approximately 10% of the cases have been associated to a systemic disease, hematological disorders, septicemia, serious illnesses; the rest are usually mucosal lesions: ulcers, erosions, located in the whole digestive tract: 10%, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, 30% in the small intestine, 50% in the anorectal region. An observational, descriptive and transversal study was carried out, with the objective of characterizing the causal factors of digestive bleeding in the pediatric age in patients attended at the Provincial Pediatric Teaching Hospital "Pepe Portilla" from February/2019 to July/2021.The universe coincided with the sample, constituted by 49 patients in pediatric age attended in this period due to gastrointestinal bleeding. Theoretical, empirical and descriptive statistical methods were used. There was a predominance of digestive bleeding in the age group from 1 to 5 years of age (44.9%), coming from urban areas (46.9%), the most frequent risk factor was inadequate diet (43.3%), the predominant type of bleeding was low and the most frequent symptom was rectorrhagia. The main causes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding were anal fissure and polyps (24.2 and 16.1 %) respectively. The presence of anal fissure was the most frequent endoscopic diagnosis (25.0 %). The most frequently used therapy was medical (77.6%) and anemia was found as a complication in 4.1% of the patients. The causal factors of infant gastrointestinal bleeding can be modified with an educational work of health promotion, in correspondence with what has been reported in Cuba and other countries.