Gastrointestinal bleeding statistics and rates, or epidemiology, are pretty startling. Patients who are being treated with Pradaxa® (dabigatran) may want to compare the gastrointestinal bleeding risk figures for Pradaxa® patients with the GI bleeding risk figures for the general population. This is not an easy comparison, however.
Upper vs. Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding Statistics
The statistics for gastrointestinal bleeds are usually classified into upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding statistics and lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding statistics, just like the symptoms themselves. Part of what makes it difficult to determine gastrointestinal bleeding rate is the fact that there are several ways to "divide" the gastrointestinal tract into the upper and lower tracts, and this makes it hard to compare upper and lower gastrointestinal bleed statistics (comparing both upper vs. lower, and comparing Pradaxa®-induced gastrointestinal bleeding vs. the rate for non-Pradaxa®-treated persons).
Nevertheless, some gastrointestinal bleeding statistics for the general population have been obtained; it's a good starting point. The statistics and rates in men and women have certainly been investigated. It turns out that men are more likely to develop gastrointestinal bleeding than women, for both upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Statistics
One study, conducted before Pradaxa® (dabigatran) was released on the U.S. market, found that when it comes to upper gastrointestinal tract (UGI) bleeding events recorded by healthcare practitioners in the U.S.:
- there are approx. 100 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons per year
- the risk of UGI events increases with age
- the rate of UGI events is greater in males than in females
- the mortality (death) rate for upper gastrointestinal events is 7–14 percent
Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding Statistics
The same study found that for lower gastrointestinal tract (LGI) bleeding events:
- there are approx. 21 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons per year
- the risk of UGI events increases with age
- the rate of UGI events is greater in males than in females
- the mortality (death) rate for upper gastrointestinal events is 4 percent
Learn More About Gastrointestinal Bleeding Statistics
You can learn more about gastrointestinal bleeding statistics by speaking with your doctor. If you have suffered from a bleeding event that is suspected to have been caused by Pradaxa®, you may be eligible to recover financial compensation for your suffering. To learn more, contact our Pradaxa® attorneys today.
