Gastroduodenal disease in chronic spinal cord injuries. An endoscopic study.

Endoscopic study of the upper gastrointestinal tract was performed in 40 patients in the chronic stage of spinal cord injury. Of these, 37 patients were analyzed for endoscopic abnormalities, symptoms, and physical findings. Nineteen patients (51.4%) had abnormalities by endoscopy. There were 11 gastric erosions, two gastric ulcers, and six cases of congestion or submucosal hemorrhage. In addition, five patients had duodenal mucosal lesions. An attempt to find clear diagnostic clues in terms of symptoms or physical signs was unsuccessful. Anorexia and nausea were early symptoms to which we should pay attention. The results do not permit an assessment of the relation of various possible causative factors and these gastroduodenal lesions. The study does call attention to the high incidence of gastroduodenal lesions in these patients.