What is the pathophysiology of a lower GI bleed?
Lower GI bleeds are the result of bleeding between the small intestine, large intestine, rectum, or anus. The potential causes include hemorrhoids and fissures, fistulas, and IBD. In some cases, it can be a symptom of polyps or cancer.
What is a gastrointestinal hemorrhage?
What is an upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage? Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage is a medical condition in which heavy bleeding occurs in the upper parts of the digestive tract: the esophagus (tube between the mouth and stomach), the stomach or the small intestine. This is often a medical emergency.
What is the most common cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage?
Peptic ulcer. This is the most common cause of upper GI bleeding. Peptic ulcers are sores that develop on the lining of the stomach and upper portion of the small intestine. Stomach acid, either from bacteria or use of anti-inflammatory drugs, damages the lining, leading to formation of sores.
What causes hemorrhaging in stomach?
There are many possible causes of GI bleeding, including hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, tears or inflammation in the esophagus, diverticulosis and diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, colonic polyps, or cancer in the colon, stomach or esophagus.
What causes upper and lower GI bleed?
The major causes of an upper GI bleed include esophageal varices, gastritis, peptic ulcers, inflammation, and cancer. The most common conditions associated with a lower GI bleed include diverticulitis, infections, polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and cancer.
What are the risk factors of a GI bleed?
Risk factors that may lead to GI bleeding include:
- Chronic vomiting.
- Alcoholism.
- Medications, including but not limited to. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs); commonly used NSAIDs include. Aspirin. Ibuprofen (Advil) Naproxen (Aleve) Anticoagulants.
- Gastrointestinal surgery.
What is the difference between an upper and lower GI bleed?
Upper GI bleeding: The upper GI tract includes the esophagus (the tube from the mouth to the stomach), stomach, and first part of the small intestine. Lower GI bleeding: The lower GI tract includes much of the small intestine, large intestine or bowels, rectum, and anus.
What are the signs of gastrointestinal bleeding?
What are the symptoms of GI bleeding?
- black or tarry stool.
- bright red blood in vomit.
- cramps in the abdomen.
- dark or bright red blood mixed with stool.
- dizziness or faintness.
- feeling tired.
- paleness.
- shortness of breath.
What are the types of hemorrhage?
Intracranial hemorrhage encompasses four broad types of hemorrhage: epidural hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intraparenchymal hemorrhage. Each type of hemorrhage results from different etiologies and the clinical findings, prognosis, and outcomes are variable.
What test is used to detect gastrointestinal bleeding?
An endoscopy procedure may help your doctor see if and where you have GI bleeding and the bleeding’s cause. Doctors most often use upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy to test for acute GI bleeding in the upper and lower GI tracts.
What causes gastrointestinal hemorrhaging?
Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is typically from the colon, rectum or anus. Common causes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding include hemorrhoids, cancer, angiodysplasia, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and aortoenteric fistula.
What causes GI hemorrhage?
There are many possible causes of GI bleeding, including hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, tears or inflammation in the esophagus, diverticulosis and diverticulitis , ulcerative colitis and Crohn ‘s disease, colonic polyps, or cancer in the colon, stomach or esophagus.
What causes upper GI bleeds?
Causes of upper GI bleeds include: peptic ulcer disease, esophageal varices due to liver cirrhosis and cancer, among others. Causes of lower GI bleeds include: hemorrhoids, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease among others.
What is treatment for upper – GI – bleed?
More commonly, upper GI bleeding is treated with medications that decrease the stomach’s acid, such as Zantac, Pepcid, Prevacid, Prilosec, etc., while the lining heals. The treatment of lower GI bleeding depends on the cause and the location of the bleeding.