Table 2. Relative risk of finding a malignancy, a benign finding with clinical relevance and a benign finding without clinical relevance for every referral indication. Wherein patients with the referral indication are compared to patients without the referral indication.
| Outcome of endoscopy | |||||||
| Referral indication | N (%) | Malignant | Benign with clinical relevance | Benign without clinical relevance | |||
| n (%) | RR (95 % CI) | n (%) | RR (95 %CI) | n (%) | RR (95 %CI) | ||
| Indication according to the NHG guideline | 1195 (59.6 %) | 100 (5.0 %) | 17.0 (6.3 – 45.91) 1 | 264 (13.2 %) | 1.44 (1.19 – 1.75) 1 | 831 (41.4 %) | 0.83 (0.79 – 0.87) 1 |
| Alarm symptoms overall | 797 (39.7 %) | 94 (4.7 %) | 14.26 (7.48 – 27.20) 1 | 200 (10.0 %) | 1.61 (1.35 – 1.93) 1 | 503 (25.0 %) | 0.75 (0.71 – 0.80) 1 |
| Dysphagia | 420 (20.9 %) | 38 (1.9 %) | 2.17 (1.48 – 3.19) 1 | 113 (5.6 %) | 1.55 (1.28 – 1.88) 1 | 269 (13.4 %) | 0.82 (0.76 – 0.88) 1 |
| Weight loss | 104 (5.2 %) | 10 (0.5 %) | 1.95 (1.05 – 3.62) 1 | 21 (1.0 %) | 1.05 (0.71 – 1.55) | 73 (3.7 %) | 0.93 (0.82 – 1.05) |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding | 92 (4.6 %) | 4 (0.2 %) | 0.83 (0.31 – 2.21) | 22 (1.1 %) | 1.25 (0.86 – 1.82) | 66 (3.3 %) | 0.95 (0.83 – 1.08) |
| Anaemia | 31 (1.5 %) | 2 (0.1 %) | 1.25 (0.32 – 4.84) | 9 (0.4 %) | 1.51 (0.87 – 2.64) | 20 (1 %) | 0.85 (0.66 – 1.11) |
| Dysphagia and weight loss | 121 (6.0 %) | 34 (1.7 %) | 7.57 (5.25 – 10.91) 1 | 28 (1.4 %) | 1.21 (0.86 – 1.70) | 59 (2.9 %) | 0.64 (0.54 – 0.78) 1 |
| Weight loss and gastrointestinal bleeding | 12 (0.6 %) | 1 (0.05 %) | 1.61 (0.24 – 10.64) | 4 (0.2 %) | 1.73 (0.77 – 3.87) | 7 (0.35 %) | 0.77 (0.48 – 1.25) |
| Dyspepsia > 50 years of age, HP negative | 383 (19.1 %) | 6 (0.4 %) | 0.26 (0.11 – 0.59) 1 | 62 (3.5 %) | 0.81 (0.63 – 1.03) | 315 (15.2 %) | 1.11 (1.05 – 1.18) 1 |
| Other | 32 (1.6 %) | 5 (0.25 %) | 3.12 (1.36 – 7.13) 1 | 5 (0.25 %) | 0.81 (0.36 – 1.81) | 22 (1.1 %) | 0.91 (0.72 – 1.15) |
| Indication not according to the NHG guideline | 811 (40.4 %) | 4 (0.2 %) | 0.06 (0.02 – 0.16) 1 | 124 (6.2 %) | 0.69 (0.57 – 0.84) 1 | 683 (34.0 %) | 1.21 (1.15 – 1.27) 1 |
| Dyspepsia < 50 years of age | 373 (18.6 %) | 0 (0 %) | 0.02 (0.00 – 0.34) 1 | 39 (1.9 %) | 0.49 (0.36 – 0.67) 1 | 334 (16.7 %) | 1.24 (1.18 – 1.30) 1 |
| Dyspepsia > 50 years of age, HP unknown | 427 (21.3 %) | 4 (0.2 %) | 0.15 (0.05 – 0.40) 1 | 82 (4.2 %) | 0.99 (0.80 – 1.23) | 341 (16.9 %) | 1.08 (1.02 – 1.14) 1 |
| Other | 11 (0.5 %) | 0 (0 %) | 0.80 (0.05 – 12.08) | 3 (0.1 %) | 1.41 (0.54 – 3.73) | 8 (0.4 %) | 0.96 (0.67 – 1.38) |
| Total | 2006 (100 %) | 104 (5.2 %) | 388 (19.3 %) | 1514 (75.5 %) | |||
Only the indications occurring with a frequency > 0.5 % were extensively reported
1
P < 0.05