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Gastrointestinal Bleeding

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What is gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding?

  • Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a sign of a disorder in the digestive tract. The blood often appears in stool or vomit but isn’t always obvious. The stool may look black or tarry. Bleeding can range from mild to severe and can be life-threatening.

  • Endoscopic investigation can usually locate the cause of the bleeding. Treatment depends on where the bleeding is located and how severe it is.

What are the symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding?

  • Symptoms of GI bleeding can be easy to see, called overt or not so obvious, known as occult. Symptoms depend on the rate of bleeding as well as the location of the bleeding, which can be anywhere throughout the GI tract, from where it starts — the mouth — to where it ends — the anus.

    Overt bleeding might show up as:

    • Vomiting blood, which might be red or might be dark brown and look like coffee grounds
    • Black, tarry stool
    • Rectal bleeding, usually in or with stool

    With occult bleeding, you might have:

    • Lightheadedness
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Fainting
    • Chest pain
    • Abdominal pain

    Symptoms of shock

    If your bleeding starts suddenly and gets worse quickly, you could go into shock. Symptoms of shock include:

    • Weakness or fatigue
    • Dizziness or fainting
    • Cool, clammy, pale skin
    • Nausea or vomiting
    • Not urinating or urinating a little at a time
    • A gray or bluish tinge to lips or fingernails
    • Changes in mental status or behaviour, such as anxiousness or agitation
    • Unconsciousness
    • Rapid pulse
    • Rapid breathing
    • Drop in blood pressure
    • Enlarged pupils

If you have symptoms of shock, you or someone else should call 000.

What is the cause of gastrointestinal bleeding?

The causes of gastrointestinal bleeding are many and varied and include:

  • Anal fissures
  • Enlarged blood vessels in the GI tract (Angiodysplasia)
  • Benign and malignant tumours
  • Colitis
  • Colon polyps
  • Constipation
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Diverticular Disease
  • Gastritis
  • Haemorrhoids
  • Infection
  • NSAIDs (e.g. aspirin or ibuprofen)
  • Peptic Ulcers (Helicobacter pylori is the most common cause of GI bleeding)
  • Severe injuries
  • Severe vomiting
  • Ulcerative Colitis (ulcers in large intestine)
How serious is gastrointestinal bleeding and can you recover from gastrointestinal bleeding?

Whilst a big bleed can be dangerous, and small bleeds untreated over time can be linked to low blood counts or iron deficiency, once the bleeding site is found, the prognosis is often good.
However, it is important to act quickly on any GI bleeding symptoms.

Sources

Mayo Clinic Gastrointestinal Bleeding

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