What Causes Gastrointestinal Bleeding?
Jul 23, 2021
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Yang Xiaojun
Introduction
Causes of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding include Mallory-Weiss tears (mucosal lacerations at the gastroesophageal junction), rupture of esophageal or gastric varices, gastric cancer, and peptic ulcers. These four etiologies account for approximately 85% of clinically diagnosed UGI bleeding cases. Lower gastrointestinal (LGI) bleeding may result from other causes, such as vascular malformations, arteriovenous malformations, hemangiomas, colonic polyps, and hemorrhoids.
Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is extremely common in clinical practice and represents a classic symptom of acute, critical, and life-threatening conditions. What are the clinical manifestations of GI bleeding?
First, we categorize GI bleeding as either upper or lower GI bleeding. Upper GI bleeding has four major causes:
The first is Mallory-Weiss tear—mucosal laceration at the gastroesophageal junction; the second is rupture of esophageal or gastric varices; the third is gastric cancer; and the fourth is peptic ulcer disease. Collectively, these four etiologies account for approximately 85% of all cases of upper GI bleeding encountered clinically.
Lower GI bleeding also has several potential causes, including vascular malformations (e.g., arteriovenous malformations), hemangiomas, colonic polyps, and hemorrhoids, among others. Therefore, GI bleeding has numerous possible etiologies. Clinically, it is essential to carefully differentiate between upper and lower GI bleeding and perform a rational analysis to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
