Can alcohol intoxication cause gastric bleeding?
Disease description:
My older brother usually enjoys going out to play with his group of friends, and he always drinks alcohol during these outings. Recently, he returned home vomiting blood, and medical examinations revealed gastric hemorrhage. Can excessive alcohol consumption cause gastric hemorrhage?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhao Haiming
Alcohol intoxication can cause gastric bleeding. Prolonged, heavy alcohol consumption on an empty stomach—especially with high-concentration alcoholic beverages—readily triggers gastric hemorrhage. Alcoholic beverages contain large amounts of ethanol, which, upon entering the stomach, directly damages the gastric mucosa and impairs the mucosal barrier, leading to acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis. Chronic, heavy alcohol use may also cause nausea and vomiting; severe vomiting can injure the gastric mucosa and, in extreme cases, result in gastric bleeding.
