Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. Celiac disease (CD), a treatable autoimmune enteropathy, with varied presentations, may simulate clinically symptoms of IBS. The aim of the present study is to screen for CD in patients with IBS diagnosed based on the Rome III criteria. Patients and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at a secondary care gastrointestinal unit in Al-Salam General Hospital in Mosul city, Iraq, from November 2015 to October 2016. All patients fulfilling the Rome III criteria for IBS were screened for CD using antitissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies (anti-tTG). Patients who tested positive were subjected to endoscopic duodenal biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of CD. Results A total of 100 patients were included in the present study (58 female and 42 male), the mean age of the participants was 40.8 years old (standard deviation [SD] ± 11.57). Ten patients (10/100, 10%) tested positive for anti-tTG antibodies. Five of the seropositive patients (5/10, 50%) showed positive biopsy results according to the Marsh classification, 3 of whom having diarrhea, and 2 with constipation. Conclusion Positive serology and biopsy results suggestive of CD are common among patients with IBS. Screening patients with IBS for CD is justified.

Introduction: Dyspepsia is a common gastrointestinal (GI) complaint with predominant underlying normal findings or trivial lesions and may be a symptom of serious morbidity.Aim: To assess the significance of endoscopic findings in the case of uninvestigated dyspepsia in adults.Material and methods: This is a single-centre cross-sectional descriptive study of 372 patients (198 females, 174 males) who presented with dyspepsia and underwent endoscopic examination. Demographic, clinical complaints with alarm features, drug use, and endoscopic findings were collected and analysed. Gastric biopsy was performed to detect Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Findings of erosions, ulcers, and neoplasms were regarded as significant lesions.Results: Mean age of patients was 35.7 ±13.5 years. The main presenting symptom of dyspepsia was epigastric pain (61.6%). The endoscopic findings were gastroduodenitis (GD) (47.6%), esophagitis (15.1%), peptic ulcers (7.3%), cancer of the stomach (0.8%), and gastric polyps (0.5%). Non-significant and normal findings represented 70.2% (261/372, p < 0.001). Age group ≥ 50 years manifested significant lesions in 45.7% (32/70), and age group < 50 years 26.2% (79/302). Weight loss, anaemia, vomiting, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were associated with significant lesions in 85.7%, 84.2%, 32.7%, and 58.3%, respectively. H. pylori prevalence in patients without organic lesions was 47.7%.Conclusions: In two thirds of patients presented with dyspepsia, endoscopy revealed minor or normal findings. Age group ≥ 50 years, alarm features, and use of NSAIDs were predictive of significant endoscopic findings. Strict clinical criteria should be adopted before referring patients with dyspepsia to endoscopy.

Background: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is a common morbid condition that entails anxiety for the patient and represents a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. This study aimed to disclose varied causes of colorectal bleeding by colonoscopic examination in Mosul city, north of Iraq. Methods: This is a cross-sectional retrospective study of (257) patients including174 males and 83 females, presented with lower gastrointestinal bleeding. All patients were subjected to colonoscopy examination in Al-Salam General Hospital in Mosul during a period of two years, from January 2018 to January 2020. Records of included patients were reviewed. Demographic, clinical, and endoscopic findings were collected and analyzed. Results: Mean age of the patients was 45.4 ±17.7 years, age range 6-90 years. Main causes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding were hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, and polyps with frequency rates of 28.4%, 26.5%, 13.2%, and 10.9% respectively. Diverticula and vascular malformations comprised 1.9% and 0.4% respectively. Colonoscopy identified colorectal lesions in 92.2% of involved patients. Conclusions: Majority of lesions causing lower gastrointestinal bleeding can be diagnosed by colonoscopic examination. In Mosul, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, and neoplasms were the dominant causes, whereas diverticula and vascular malformations were rare.