Table 1 Patient characteristics and indication for endoscopy, by decade
|  | 1977–1985a | 1987–1996 | 1997–2006 | 2007–2014 |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
n | 1674 | 2627 | 3388 | 9264 | Â |
Male: female | 998:569 | 1606–945 | 1771–1462 | 4445:3977 | <0.0001 |
Female % | 36 | 37 | 45 | 47 | Â |
Age (median, IQR) | 33, 26–46 | 35, 27–45 | 35, 27–47 | 39, 29–54 | 0.001 |
Age groups in years: | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Child (under 16) | 13 (1) | 31 (1) | 66 (3) | 311 (4) |  |
 16–44 | 888 (72) | 1828 (74) | 1697 (68) | 4646 (57) |  |
 45–59 | 215 (17) | 434 (17) | 464 (19) | 1697 (21) |  |
 60 and over | 121 (10) | 192 (8) | 277 (11) | 1453 (18) | <0.0001 |
Indication: | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Pain | 1192 (71) | 1957 (75) | 1.912 (56) | 4566 (49) | <0.0001 |
 Dysphagia | 64 (4) | 99 (4) | 222 (8) | 961 (11) | <0.0001 |
 Haematemesis | 193 (12) | 194 (8) | 276 (22) | 1062 (12) | <0.0001 |
 Anaemia | 30 (2) | 63 (3) | 14 (1) | 187 (2) | <0.0001 |