What causes vomiting blood and passing blood in stool in cirrhosis?
Disease description:
A relative of mine was diagnosed with cirrhosis last month. Recently, I'm not sure whether his condition has worsened, as he has started vomiting blood and passing bloody stools. I would like to ask, what causes vomiting blood and passing bloody stools in patients with cirrhosis?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Shen Yonghua
Patients with cirrhosis may experience symptoms of vomiting blood and passing blood in the stool. Causes include:
1. **Rupture of esophageal and gastric varices**: Cirrhosis leads to portal hypertension, which subsequently causes esophageal and gastric varices. These varices are prone to rupture, resulting in significant bleeding into the stomach and causing hematemesis.
2. **Coagulopathy**: Patients with cirrhosis have reduced liver synthesis of coagulation factors, leading to impaired blood clotting. This makes it difficult to stop bleeding once it occurs, increasing the risk of hematemesis and melena.
3. **Portal hypertensive gastropathy**: Cirrhosis can also cause portal hypertensive gastropathy, in which the gastric mucosa becomes damaged, leading to erosion and bleeding that may result in melena.
4. **Reduced platelet count and dysfunction**: Cirrhosis is often accompanied by splenomegaly and hypersplenism, which lead to a decreased platelet count and impaired platelet function, further increasing the risk of bleeding.
