General Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms

Home » General Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms » GI Bleeding Overview

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your GI Condition
(Free Handout)

GI bleeding

Bleeding can occur throughout the digestive system (e.g., in the esophagus, stomach, intestines). In some cases, GI bleeding is serious and life threatening. For this reason, it is important to find the underlying cause for any bleeding in the GI tract.

Gastrointestinal bleeding can occur from a small area in the digestive tract (e.g., stomach ulcer, hemorrhoid) or from a large area (e.g., bowel inflammation). In some cases, bleeding occurs in such a small amount that it can only be detected by microscopic examination. This is called occult bleeding.

Types of GI bleeding include the following:

• Esophagus
• Bleeding caused by a tear in the lining of the esophagus (Mallory-Weiss syndrome; caused by vomiting, coughing, childbirth, hiatal hernia)
• Esophageal bleeding caused by enlarged veins (often caused by cirrhosis of the liver)
• Esophageal cancer
• Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus)
• Stomach
• Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
• Stomach (gastric) cancer
• Stomach ulcers (e.g., caused by Helicobacter pylori infection, medications [e.g., NSAIDs], alcohol abuse, stress)


Advertising Disclaimer
• Upper GI Tract (small intestine, or small bowel)
• Duodenal ulcers (e.g., caused by Helicobacter pylori infection, NSAIDs)
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Lower GI Tract (large intestine, or colon, and rectum)
• Colorectal cancer
• Crohn's disease
• Diverticular disease
• Hemorrhoids (dilated veins in the rectum or anus)
• Infection (e.g., bacterial, viral, parasitic)
• Polyps (benign growths in the colon; may be pre-cancerous)
• Ulcerative colitis

Blood "thinning" medications (e.g., warfarin [Coumadin®]) also can cause bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

General Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms Resources

	Join Our GI Bleeding Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted. June 1st is National Cancer Survivors Day Share your survival story and help others in the fight against cancer. Read cancer survivor stories already submitted.
	Stay Updated Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you.
Are you interested in becoming a nurse? Take this test. Advertising Disclaimer To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer