Rockall score
The Rockall score is a clinical risk stratification tool designed to predict mortality, rebleeding, and other adverse outcomes in patients presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB).[1] Developed in 1996 based on a prospective UK national audit involving 4185 patients, it incorporates both pre-endoscopic and post-endoscopic variables to categorize patients into low-, medium-, or high-risk groups, with scores ranging from 0 to 11; higher scores correlate with increased risk of death (e.g., 0% mortality for scores of 0–2 versus up to 41% for scores ≥8).[1] The score comprises two parts: the pre-endoscopic Rockall score, which assesses age (0 points for <60 years, 1 for 60–79, 2 for ≥80), hemodynamic shock (0 for no shock, 1 for tachycardia without hypotension, 2 for hypotension with tachycardia), and comorbidity (0 for no major, 2 for cardiac failure or ischemic heart disease, 3 for renal or hepatic failure or malignancy), yielding a maximum of 7 points; and the complete score, which adds endoscopic findings including diagnosis (0 for peptic ulcer, Mallory-Weiss tear, or no lesion; 2 for other diagnoses including malignancy) and stigmata of recent hemorrhage (0 for clean-based ulcer; 2 for active bleeding, visible vessel, or adherent clot), for a total maximum of 11 points.[1] This system was derived from multivariate analysis of audit data to identify independent predictors of mortality, enabling early identification of low-risk patients (score ≤2) suitable for outpatient management or early discharge, while guiding intensive monitoring and intervention for higher-risk cases.[2] Prospectively validated in an additional 1625 patients from the same audit, the Rockall score demonstrated strong discriminative ability (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.84 for mortality prediction) and has since been externally validated in diverse populations, including studies in Canada, Asia, and Europe as of 2025, confirming its utility primarily for mortality prediction despite some limitations in predicting rebleeding alone compared to other scores like the Glasgow-Blatchford.[1][3][4] Its integration into clinical guidelines, such as those from the American College of Gastroenterology for post-endoscopic management of high-risk patients, underscores its role in standardizing UGIB management, though ongoing refinements address evolving endoscopic practices and patient demographics.[5]Background
Definition and Purpose
The Rockall score is a multivariate risk scoring system developed to predict the risk of mortality and re-bleeding in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding. It integrates clinical and endoscopic variables to provide a numerical assessment, enabling clinicians to quantify prognosis based on readily available data.[6] Originally derived from a large prospective audit of over 4,000 cases, the score emphasizes independent predictors such as age, hemodynamic status, comorbidities, bleeding source, and endoscopic findings, particularly in non-variceal UGI bleeding where it demonstrates strong prognostic utility.[7] The primary purpose of the Rockall score is to stratify patients into risk categories, facilitating informed clinical decisions on hospitalization, the timing of endoscopy, and the need for intensive care unit admission. By identifying high-risk individuals early, it supports targeted interventions to improve outcomes, such as aggressive resuscitation or endoscopic therapy, while allowing low-risk patients to be considered for early discharge or outpatient management, thereby optimizing resource allocation.[6] This risk stratification also aids in audit and research by standardizing case-mix comparisons across institutions.[7] The score applies specifically to adults presenting with signs of acute UGI bleeding, such as hematemesis, melena, or syncope due to blood loss, and is distinct from tools designed for lower gastrointestinal bleeding, which involve different anatomical and etiological considerations.[6] It is most relevant in non-variceal cases, like peptic ulcers or erosions, though it can be applied more broadly to UGI hemorrhage.[7] In structure, the Rockall score comprises pre-endoscopic factors for initial assessment and endoscopic variables added post-procedure, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 11, with higher values indicating greater risk.Historical Development
The Rockall score was developed by Tim Rockall and colleagues in the United Kingdom as part of the National Audit of Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Haemorrhage, a prospective, multicentre study conducted in 1993 that prospectively collected data on 4,185 patients aged over 16 years across 74 hospitals in four English health regions.[8] This audit aimed to provide a comprehensive, population-based assessment of the incidence, management, and outcomes of acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage to inform national standards and improvements in care.[8] The score was first described in 1996 in a seminal paper published in the journal Gut, where the authors used multivariate logistic regression analysis on the audit data to identify independent predictors of mortality, including age, shock, comorbidity, endoscopic diagnosis, and stigmata of recent haemorrhage.[2] This analysis enabled the formulation of a simple numerical scoring system to stratify patients by risk of death following acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.[2] In the same 1996 study, the score was internally validated on a subsequent cohort of 1,625 patients from a 1994 audit phase, demonstrating reproducible prediction of mortality rates across risk categories and identifying low-risk groups suitable for early discharge.[2] The framework included a pre-endoscopic component for initial risk assessment prior to endoscopy, facilitating timely clinical decision-making without delaying procedures.[2] By the early 2000s, the Rockall score had gained widespread acceptance and was incorporated into clinical guidelines, including those from the American College of Gastroenterology, for risk stratification in upper gastrointestinal bleeding management.[5] Although subsequent research has proposed minor adaptations to enhance specificity for certain outcomes, the original scoring system continues to serve as the standard prognostic tool due to its validated simplicity and prognostic reliability.Components of the Score
Pre-Endoscopic Factors
The pre-endoscopic factors in the Rockall score consist of three clinical variables assessed prior to endoscopy to evaluate initial risk in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: age, hemodynamic status (shock), and comorbidities.[9] Age is scored as 0 points for patients under 60 years, 1 point for those aged 60-79 years, and 2 points for individuals 80 years or older, reflecting the increased mortality risk associated with advanced age in this population.[9] Shock is evaluated based on vital signs, with 0 points for no shock (systolic blood pressure ≥100 mmHg and pulse <100 bpm), 1 point for tachycardia (pulse ≥100 bpm with systolic blood pressure ≥100 mmHg), and 2 points for hypotension (systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg), indicating the severity of hypovolemia and its prognostic implications.[9] Comorbidities are graded as 0 points for no major comorbidity, 2 points for conditions such as ischemic heart disease, cardiac failure, or other significant comorbidities, and 3 points for severe states including renal failure, liver failure, or disseminated malignancy, capturing the burden of underlying disease on outcomes.[9] These factors were identified through multivariate logistic regression analysis of data from a national audit involving 2,531 patients with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, demonstrating their independent association with rebleeding and mortality independent of the bleeding source.[9] In the derivation cohort, patients scoring 0-2 on these pre-endoscopic variables (29.4% of cases) experienced low rates of rebleeding (4.3%) and mortality (0.1%), supporting their use for early risk stratification.[9] Assessment of these pre-endoscopic factors occurs at the time of patient presentation in emergency or admission settings, enabling rapid triage and initial management decisions without requiring endoscopic evaluation.[9]| Variable | Score 0 | Score 1 | Score 2 | Score 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | <60 | 60-79 | ≥80 | - |
| Shock | No shock (systolic BP ≥100 mmHg, pulse <100 bpm) | Tachycardia (pulse ≥100 bpm, systolic BP ≥100 mmHg) | Hypotension (systolic BP <100 mmHg) | - |
| Comorbidity | Nil major | - | Ischemic heart disease, cardiac failure, or other major comorbidity | Renal failure, liver failure, or disseminated malignancy |
Endoscopic Factors
The endoscopic factors in the Rockall score are incorporated after upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to enhance prognostic precision by identifying lesion characteristics and bleeding signs that correlate with rebleeding and mortality risk. These factors consist of two variables: the endoscopic diagnosis and the stigmata of recent hemorrhage. For diagnosis, a score of 0 is assigned to Mallory-Weiss tear or no identifiable lesion, 1 point to all other diagnoses (such as peptic ulcer, esophagitis, or gastritis), and 2 points to upper gastrointestinal tract malignancy, reflecting the increased mortality associated with neoplastic lesions. The stigmata of recent hemorrhage are scored as 0 for absence or presence of only a dark spot in the ulcer base, and 2 points for more ominous findings including blood in the upper gastrointestinal tract, adherent clot, visible vessel, or spurting vessel, which signal higher rebleeding potential.| Endoscopic Variable | Scoring Categories | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis | Mallory-Weiss tear or no lesion | 0 |
| All other diagnoses | 1 | |
| Malignancy of upper GI tract | 2 | |
| Stigmata of Recent Hemorrhage | None or dark spot in ulcer base | 0 |
| Blood, adherent clot, visible or spurting vessel | 2 |
Calculation Method
Pre-Endoscopic Score
The pre-endoscopic Rockall score is computed by summing points assigned to three clinical variables: age, hemodynamic status (shock), and comorbidities, resulting in a total ranging from 0 to 7 points.[2] This partial score enables rapid risk stratification in patients presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding prior to endoscopic evaluation.[10] To calculate the score, follow these steps: (1) Categorize the patient's age and assign points—0 for under 60 years, 1 for 60–79 years, and 2 for 80 years or older; (2) Assess vital signs for shock—0 points if systolic blood pressure is at least 100 mmHg and pulse is under 100 beats per minute, 1 point if pulse is 100 beats per minute or higher with systolic blood pressure at least 100 mmHg (indicating tachycardia), and 2 points if systolic blood pressure is below 100 mmHg (indicating hypotension); (3) Evaluate medical history for major comorbidities—0 points if none, 2 points for conditions such as ischemic heart disease or cardiac failure, and 3 points for severe conditions like renal failure, liver failure, or disseminated malignancy; (4) Add the points from all three variables to obtain the total score.[2] The following table summarizes the point assignments for each variable:| Variable | 0 Points | 1 Point | 2 Points | 3 Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | <60 years | 60–79 years | ≥80 years | - |
| Shock | No shock (SBP ≥100 mmHg and pulse <100 bpm) | Tachycardia (SBP ≥100 mmHg and pulse ≥100 bpm) | Hypotension (SBP <100 mmHg) | - |
| Comorbidities | None | - | Cardiac failure, ischemic heart disease, or other major comorbidity | Renal failure, liver failure, or disseminated malignancy |
Complete Rockall Score
The complete Rockall score is computed by integrating the pre-endoscopic subtotal with endoscopic findings to provide a comprehensive prognostic assessment for patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.[2] This full score sums points from five key factors: age, shock status, comorbidities (pre-endoscopic), endoscopic diagnosis, and stigmata of recent hemorrhage (endoscopic).[2] The total ranges from 0 to 11 points, with higher scores indicating greater risk.[2] The step-by-step process begins with calculating the pre-endoscopic subtotal, which assigns points based on initial clinical presentation: age (<60 years = 0, 60-79 years = 1, ≥80 years = 2), shock (0 for no shock: systolic blood pressure ≥100 mm Hg and pulse <100 bpm; 1 for tachycardia: systolic blood pressure ≥100 mm Hg and pulse ≥100 bpm; 2 for hypotension: systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg), and comorbidities (none = 0, major such as ischemic heart disease or cardiac failure = 2, severe such as renal failure, liver failure, or disseminated malignancy = 3), yielding a subtotal from 0 to 7.[2] Next, upper endoscopy is performed to evaluate the bleeding source, assigning points for diagnosis (Mallory-Weiss tear, no lesion, or no stigmata of recent hemorrhage = 0; all other non-malignant lesions such as peptic ulcer = 1; upper gastrointestinal malignancy = 2) and stigmata of recent hemorrhage (none or dark spot in ulcer base = 0; blood in upper gastrointestinal tract, adherent clot, visible vessel, or active bleeding = 2), contributing 0 to 4 additional points.[2] The complete score is then obtained by adding the pre-endoscopic subtotal to the endoscopic points.[2] This summation can be represented as: Total Score = Age + Shock + Comorbidities + Diagnosis + Stigmata where each term reflects the assigned points from the respective factors.[2] For illustration, consider a patient aged 70 years (1 point for age) with no shock (0) and no comorbidities (0), yielding a pre-endoscopic subtotal of 1; if endoscopy reveals a peptic ulcer (1 for diagnosis) with an adherent clot (2 for stigmata), the complete score totals 4.[2]Interpretation and Risk Stratification
Score Categories and Outcomes
The complete Rockall score stratifies patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding into four risk categories based on their total score, each associated with distinct rates of rebleeding and mortality derived from the original validation study involving 1,622 patients.[11] These categories facilitate risk assessment primarily for non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding, guiding prognostic expectations.[11] Low-risk patients (score 0) exhibit minimal adverse outcomes, with a rebleeding rate of 0% and 0% mortality.[11] Moderate-risk patients (score 1-3) face elevated risks, including 3.4% rebleeding and 0.1% mortality.[11] High-risk patients (score 4-7) show further increases, with 15.4% rebleeding and 2.9% mortality.[11] Very high-risk patients (score ≥8) experience the most severe outcomes, marked by 34.1% rebleeding and 41.1% mortality.[11] Mortality rates rise exponentially across categories, reflecting the cumulative impact of risk factors such as age, comorbidities, and endoscopic stigmata.[11] Rebleeding rates, while increasing overall, peak in the very high-risk group, underscoring the score's utility in identifying those needing intensive monitoring.[11]| Risk Category | Score Range | Rebleeding Rate | Mortality Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Moderate | 1-3 | 3.4% | 0.1% |
| High | 4-7 | 15.4% | 2.9% |
| Very High | ≥8 | 34.1% | 41.1% |