Gastrointestinal bleeding

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Intussusception - X-ray

Volvulus - X-ray

Overview

Treatment

Gastrointestinal bleeding

Definition:

Gastrointestinal bleeding refers to any bleeding that starts in the gastrointestinal tract, which extends from the mouth to the large bowel. The degree of bleeding can range from nearly undetectable to acute, massive, and life-threatening. Bleeding may come from any site along the gastrointestinal tract, but is often divided into:

Upper GI bleeding: The upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract is located between the mouth and outflow tract of the stomach.
Lower GI bleeding: The lower GI tract is located from the outflow tract of the stomach to the anus (small and large bowel included).

Alternative Names:

Lower GI bleeding; GI bleeding; Upper GI bleeding

Considerations:

Gastrointestinal bleeding can range from microscopic bleeding (the amount of blood is so small that it can only be detected by laboratory testing) to massive bleeding (pure blood is passed).

It is important to be aware of gastrointestinal bleeding, because it may point to many significant diseases and conditions. Prolonged microscopic bleeding can lead to massive loss of iron, causing anemia. Acute, massive bleeding can lead to hypovolemia, shock, and even death.

Gastrointestinal bleeding can occur at any age from birth on. The degree and suspected location of the bleeding determines what tests should be performed to find the cause. Once a bleeding site is identified, many therapies are available to stop the bleeding.

Common Causes:

Some of the possible causes of gastrointestinal bleeding include:

Hemorrhoids
Duodenal ulcer
Gastric (stomach) ulcer
Bleeding diverticulum
Ulcerative colitis
Crohn's disease
Esophageal varices
Arterio-venous malformations
Nosebleed
Mallory-Weiss tear (tear in esophagus after vomiting)
Esophagitis
Dysentery (bloody, infectious diarrhea)
Ischemic bowel
Colon cancer
Intestinal polyps
Celiac sprue
Radiation injury to the bowel
Portal hypertensive gastropathy
Stomach cancer
Intestinal vasculitis
Small intestinal cancer
Dieulafoy's lesion
Meckel's diverticulum
Aorto-enteric fistula
Cow's milk allergy
Intestinal obstruction (twisted bowel)
Intussusception (bowel telescoped on itself)
Anal fissure

Review Date: 10/27/2005
Reviewed By: Courtney W. Houchen, M.D., Division of Gastroenterology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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