Clinical Profile and Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Findings in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Stages 3 To 5: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Gastrointestinal involvement is a frequent extra-renal manifestation of chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet Indian data correlating symptoms with endoscopic lesions remain limited. Aims/Objectives: To describe the clinical profile and upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings in patients with CKD stages 3–5, and to determine whether endoscopic abnormalities are associated with CKD stage, dialysis status, presenting symptoms, comorbidity and drug exposure. Methodology: This hospital-based cross-sectional study enrolled 70 patients with CKD stages 3–5 presenting with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. All underwent clinical assessment, laboratory evaluation and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Associations were tested using chi-square or Fisher exact tests; p<0.05 was significant. Results: Mean age was 44.0±16.0 years and 37 (52.9%) were male. Sixty-three (90.0%) had stage 5 CKD and 63 (90.0%) were on maintenance hemodialysis. Nausea 63 (90.0%), anorexia 55 (78.6%), vomiting 46 (65.7%) and dyspepsia 34 (48.6%) were commonest. Of 66 (94.3%) patients endoscoped, 42 (63.6%) had abnormalities: gastritis 20 (30.3%), gastroesophageal reflux disease 12 (18.2%), esophagitis 11 (16.7%) and peptic ulcer 6 (9.1%); duodenitis was absent. Abnormalities were unrelated to CKD stage (χ²=0.26, p=0.879) or dialysis status (p=0.699), but were associated with vomiting (χ²=9.16, p=0.002), dyspepsia (χ²=9.43, p=0.002) and male sex (χ²=4.99, p=0.025). Conclusions: Upper gastrointestinal lesions were common across CKD stages irrespective of dialysis status, supporting early endoscopy in symptomatic patients.