**2. Epidemiology**

GAVE accounts for approximately 4% of all upper gastrointestinal bleeding [1]. Approximately 40% of GAVE patients have cirrhosis of the liver, and 1 in 40 patients require liver transplantation [2]. Cirrhotic GAVE patients are predominantly males (75%; mean age 65 years), whereas noncirrhotic GAVE patients are predominantly females (71%; mean age of 73 years). GAVE has been associated with autoimmune disorders such as autoimmune connective tissue disorders (62%), Raynaud's phenomenon (31%), and sclerodactyly (20%) [3]. GAVE have also been reported in other medical conditions including scleroderma, bone marrow transplantation, chronic renal failure, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, valvular heart disease, familial Mediterranean fever, and acute myeloid leukemia [3–6].

The prevalence of PHG varies from 20 to 75% in portal hypertensive patients, and from 35 to 80% in patients with cirrhosis [7]. According to the HALT-C trial, approximately 37% of patients (364 of 1011) with biopsy confirmed cirrhosis or bridging fibrosis from hepatitis C had PHG [8]. While PHG can present at any age, its severity can vary from mild to severe. The severity of liver disease and severity of portal hypertension greatly influences the natural progression of PHG [9].
