Abstract

Background
/Aims: Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy is a necessary procedure for making the diagnosis of UGI diseases. However, it may evoke anxiety due to the procedural discomfort before endoscopy. There have been few detailed studies that have evaluated the anxiety of patients who undergo UGI endoscopy in Korea. The aim of this study is to evaluate the patient's anxiety associated with UGI endoscopy and to determine the methods to improve the tolerance of patients to UGI endoscopy. Methods: From May to September 2004, we assessed 38 patients who received UGI endoscopy for the first time as outpatients at Korea University, Anam Hospital. One group was examined with UGI endoscopy after being sedated. The patient's anxiety was rated at baseline and immediately before the procedure. Results: Endoscopy was associated with a significant increase in anxiety (prior to procedure, 48.53 vs. baseline, 43.58, p＜0.001) but not trait anxiety (43.92 vs. 43.63, p=0.70). The procedural anxiety was not influenced by gender, age or the education level, but it was correlated with conscious sedation (without CS, 5.67±0.23 vs. with CS, 4.06±0.16, p＜0.05). Conclusions: Sedating the patient during UGI endoscopy is an effective method to lower procedural anxiety.

• Keywords: Anxiety, Conscious sedation, Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy