GI bleeding:
What is GI bleeding?
Bleeding in the digestive tract (GI bleeding) is a symptom of a disease rather than a disease itself. Bleeding can occur as the result of a number of different diseases or conditions. Most causes of bleeding are related to conditions that can be controlled and are not life-threatening, such as ulcers or hemorrhoids; however there are conditions that can be serious and very harmful. The digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum and anus. Bleeding can come from one or more of these areas and can often occur without the person noticing it. This type of bleeding is called occult or hidden. Fortunately, simple tests can detect occult blood in the stool.
Causes of GI bleeding:
The cause of bleeding in the digestive tract strongly depends upon the location of the bleeding. Common causes of GI bleeding include:
- Esophagus
- Inflammation (known as esophagitis)
- Enlarged veins (known as varices)
- A tear in the esophageal tissue (known as Mallory-Weiss syndrome)
- Liver disease
- Cancer
- Stomach
- Ulcers
- Inflammation (gastritis)
- Cancer
- Small Intestine
- Duodenal ulcer
- Inflammation (Inflammatory Bowel Disorder)
- Cancer
- Large Intestine and rectum
- Hemorrhoids
- Infections
- Inflammation (ulcerative colitis)
- Colorectal cancer
- Colorectal polyps
- Diverticular disease
Symptoms of GI bleeding:
The symptoms of bleeding in the digestive tract depend upon the location and the severity of the bleeding. If blood is coming from the rectum or the lower colon, bright red blood will coat or mix with the stool. The stool may be mixed with darker blood if the bleeding is higher up in the colon or at the far end of the small intestine. When there is bleeding in the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum, the stool is usually black. Vomited material may be bright red or have a coffee-grounds appearance when one is bleeding from those sites. If bleeding is hidden or occult, the patient might not notice any changes in stool color.
If a patient has sudden massive bleeding, he or she may feel weak, faint, short of breath, or have abdominal pain or diarrhea. Shock may occur, with a rapid pulse, drop in blood pressure, and difficulty in producing urine. The patient may become very pale. If bleeding is slow and occurs over a long period of time, a gradual onset of fatigue, lethargy, shortness of breath, and pallor from the anemia may occur.
Treatment Options:
The primary diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for most causes of GI bleeding is endoscopy.
Bleeding from the upper GI tract can often be controlled by injecting chemicals directly into the site of bleeding with a needle that is introduced through the endoscope. A physician can also cauterize a bleeding site with a device passed through the endoscope. Once bleeding is controlled, medicines are often prescribed to prevent recurrence of bleeding. Medicines are useful primarily for H. pylori, esophagitis, ulcer, infections, and irritable bowel disease.
Removal of polyps with an endoscope can control bleeding from colon polyps. Removal of hemorrhoids by banding or various heat or electrical devices is effective in patients who suffer hemorrhoidal bleeding on a recurrent basis. Endoscopic injection or cautery can be used to treat bleeding sites throughout the lower intestinal tract. Endoscopic techniques do not always control bleeding. Sometimes angiography may be used. However, surgery is often needed to control active, severe, or recurrent bleeding when endoscopy is not successful.
Related information:
| University of Missouri Health Care | This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. |
