Introduction: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding remains life-threatening for patients, with mortality rates dependent on early diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with mortality in patients admitted for upper gastrointestinal bleeding at the Sourô Sanou University Hospital Center in Bobo-Dioulasso.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023 in the Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department of the Sourô Sanou University Hospital. It included patients admitted for upper gastrointestinal bleeding with usable clinical records. Binary logistic regression was used as the method of analysis to identify associated factors. The significance threshold was set at 5%.

Results: During the study period, there were 303 cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, representing a prevalence of 16.9%, and the records of 291 patients were included. The median age was 50 years and the sex ratio was 2.6. The most common presentation was hematemesis in 82% of cases. The main etiologies identified were gastroduodenal peptic ulcer disease and esophageal variceal rupture in 54.3% and 24% of cases, respectively. The overall mortality rate from upper gastrointestinal bleeding was 20%, and the main factors associated with it were the presence of an underlying bacterial infection [aOR = 3.3; 95% CI (1.6-17.4)] and esophageal variceal rupture [aOR = 6.8; 95% CI (1.3-37.4)], while hospitalization lasting more than 5 days was associated with better survival [aOR = 0.06; 95% CI (0.01-0.5)].

Conclusion: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is common in our setting and is associated with high mortality. Improving patient prognosis requires effective infection control and effective treatment of esophageal varices.