Changes in characteristics and outcome of acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage: a comparison of epidemiology and practices between 1996 and 2000 in a multicentre French study

Our time-trend evaluation of changes in AUGIH characteristics revealed that peptic ulcer and varices were still the two most frequent bleeding lesions. In patients with varices bleeding, endoscopic ligation became the routine standard treatment instead of varices sclerosis. The mortality rate decreased significantly over the 5-year study period in the whole group and particularly in the subgroup of cirrhotic patients.