Background: Gastrointestinal endoscopy is essential for
diagnosing upper and lower GI disorders in resource-limited settings, where
upper GI conditions predominate but lower GI screening remains underutilised.
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is a diagnostic procedure carried out to
visualise the mucosal lining of the oesophagus, stomach, and proximal duodenum.
Objective: This retrospective descriptive study evaluated
diagnostic data from 5,544 patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy
(EGD) and colonoscopy between March 2020 and March 2024 at a private hospital
in Kisii County, Kenya. The study aimed to evaluate the use of procedures,
patient profiles, clinical reasons, and diagnostic outcomes to inform practice
and planning for healthcare and resources.
Methods: Data extracted were patient age, gender,
pre-medication, reasons for endoscopy, results, provisional diagnoses, and
clinical impressions. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25.
Results: Results demonstrated a very strong predominance of
EGD procedures (98.8%) over colonoscopy (1.2%), reflective of a very strong
imbalance between access and utilisation. The extreme disparity suggests
potential underuse of colonoscopy, most likely attributable to limited
equipment, specialist access, and referral patterns. Dysphagia was the most
frequent clinical indication for EGD, in excess of 43% of cases, with
malignancy and peptic ulcers representing a substantial disease burden.
Referral indications were highly aligned with diagnostic results, reflective of
the clinical importance of current referral patterns. The gender ratio was
approximately equal, and the 41–80 years age category was found to be a
priority group for interventions.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the need to strengthen
diagnostic capacity for dysphagia and oesophageal diseases, optimise protocols
for upper gastrointestinal bleeding and hematemesis, promote early evaluation
and management of functional dyspepsia and epigastralgia, and invest in
comprehensive oesophageal cancer services. Enhanced access and awareness of
colonoscopy, standardisation of documentation and data management,
implementation of quality indicators, and regular training are needed to
improve patient outcomes.
Author(s) Details
Raymond Oigara
Department of Surgery, School of Health Science, Kisii University, Kenya.
Roselyne Nyakona
David
Department of Health, Kisii County Government, Kenya.
Samuel Mong’are
Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Health
Science, Kisii University, Kenya.
Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/msup/v7/6915
