Changing trends in the clinical characteristics of gastrointestinal bleeding among hospitalized patients from 2012-2024 in China: a retrospective study
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.160 PuJian Road, Shanghai, China
- 2Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, State Key Laboratory for Oncogenes and Related Genes, Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, No.160 PuJian Road, Shanghai, China
Abstract
Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) remains a critical medical emergency with rising healthcare burdens in China. This study aimed to analyze its epidemiological shifts and risk factors over the past decade.
Methods: A retrospective analysis included 3,523 inpatients with GIB at Renji Hospital (2012–2024), stratified into two periods: 2012–2019 (n = 2,024) and 2020–2024 (n = 1,499). Temporal trends were assessed with Student’s t-tests, Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson’s χ² tests and further verified by Bayesian age-period-cohort modeling.
Results: The mean age increased from 56.35 to 58.05 years (P < 0.01), while the median of hospital stay decreased from 9 to 7 days (P < 0.01). The age distribution shifted toward older population, with a decline in the 40–59 years group (from 30.09% to 26.68%; P = 0.03) and a rise in the 60–79 years group (from 41.50% to 46.96%; P < 0.01). Etiologies of GIB also evolved: the proportions of peptic ulcer disease and variceal bleeding decreased significantly, whereas cases of inflammatory bowel disease and post-endoscopic bleeding increased (all P < 0.01). Concurrently, antithrombotic use rose from 13.29% to 20.08% (P < 0.01), accompanied by higher prevalence of comorbidities such as cerebral infarction and coronary heart disease (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: Our findings illustrate a rapidly evolving GIB landscape in China, characterized by an aging patient profile, changing etiology, and rising antithrombotic use. These changes, likely driven by demographic aging and evolving clinical practices, underscore the need for updated management protocols—including enhanced bleeding risk assessment in elderly patients, standardized peri‑endoscopic care, and dynamic resource allocation—to address the growing complexity of GIB cases.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-026-05214-5.
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BibTeX
@article{zhong2026changing,
title = {{Changing trends in the clinical characteristics of gastrointestinal bleeding among hospitalized patients from 2012-2024 in China: a retrospective study}},
author = {Min Zhong and Jian-Qiao Qiao and Jian-Fei Xiong and Song Zhang and Wen-Yu Su and Jing-Yuan Fang},
journal = {BMC Gastroenterology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12876-026-05214-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-026-05214-5},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Changing trends in the clinical characteristics of gastrointestinal bleeding among hospitalized patients from 2012-2024 in China: a retrospective study
AU - Min Zhong
AU - Jian-Qiao Qiao
AU - Jian-Fei Xiong
AU - Song Zhang
AU - Wen-Yu Su
AU - Jing-Yuan Fang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/11
JO - BMC Gastroenterology
DO - 10.1186/s12876-026-05214-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-026-05214-5
AB - Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) remains a critical medical emergency with rising healthcare burdens in China. This study aimed to analyze its epidemiological shifts and risk factors over the past decade. Methods: A retrospective analysis included 3,523 inpatients with GIB at Renji Hospital (2012–2024), stratified into two periods: 2012–2019 (n = 2,024) and 2020–2024 (n = 1,499). Temporal trends were assessed with Student’s t-tests, Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson’s χ² tests and further verified by Bayesian age-period-cohort modeling. Results: The mean age increased from 56.35 to 58.05 years (P < 0.01), while the median of hospital stay decreased from 9 to 7 days (P < 0.01). The age distribution shifted toward older population, with a decline in the 40–59 years group (from 30.09% to 26.68%; P = 0.03) and a rise in the 60–79 years group (from 41.50% to 46.96%; P < 0.01). Etiologies of GIB also evolved: the proportions of peptic ulcer disease and variceal bleeding decreased significantly, whereas cases of inflammatory bowel disease and post-endoscopic bleeding increased (all P < 0.01). Concurrently, antithrombotic use rose from 13.29% to 20.08% (P < 0.01), accompanied by higher prevalence of comorbidities such as cerebral infarction and coronary heart disease (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings illustrate a rapidly evolving GIB landscape in China, characterized by an aging patient profile, changing etiology, and rising antithrombotic use. These changes, likely driven by demographic aging and evolving clinical practices, underscore the need for updated management protocols—including enhanced bleeding risk assessment in elderly patients, standardized peri‑endoscopic care, and dynamic resource allocation—to address the growing complexity of GIB cases. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-026-05214-5.
SN - 1471-230X
ER -