[Upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage in the patients aged over 65 years. The contribution of endoscopy (author's transl)].

One hundred and eighty four patients aged over 65 years and hospitalised for gastrointestinal haemorrhage of high origin underwent emergency oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy. It was thereby possible to make an aetiological diagnosis in 94.5% of cases. The study demonstrated certain special features: the preponderance of acute gastro-duodenal lesions, possibly explained by the high consumption of gastrotoxic drugs in the elderly subject; the relative frequency of oesophagitis (11%), one out of two cases being responsible for the bleeding; the discovery of a hiatal hernia in 59 patients (1/3 of cases), 25% of them bleeding from a lesion directly related to the latter. Bleeding was in large quantity in 57% of cases. Mortality, which was quite high (17%) appeared to be more related to the underlying general condition than to the haemorrhage itself. Endoscopy gave rise to complications in 8 patients, including 3 who died.