Gastrointestinal bleeding (patient information)

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What is Gastrointestinal bleeding?

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding refers to any bleeding that starts in the gastrointestinal tract, which extends from the mouth to the anus.

The amount of bleeding can range from nearly undetectable to acute, massive, and life threatening.

Bleeding may come from any site along the GI tract, but is often divided into:

• Upper GI bleeding: The upper GI tract is located between the mouth and the upper part of the small intestine.
• Lower GI bleeding: The lower GI tract is located between the upper part of the small intestine and the anus. The lower GI tract includes the small and large bowels.

What are the symptoms of Gastrointestinal bleeding?

The signs of bleeding in the digestive tract depend upon the site and severity of bleeding. If blood is coming from the rectum or the lower colon, bright red blood will coat or mix with the stool. The stool may be mixed with darker blood if the bleeding is higher up in the colon or at the far end of the small intestine. When there is bleeding in the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum, the stool is usually black or tarry. Vomited material may be bright red or have a coffee-grounds appearance when one is bleeding from those sites. If bleeding is occult, the patient might not notice any changes in stool color.

If sudden massive bleeding occurs, a person may feel weak, dizzy, faint, short of breath, or have crampy abdominal pain or diarrhea. Shock may occur, with a rapid pulse, drop in blood pressure, and difficulty in producing urine. The patient may become very pale. If bleeding is slow and occurs over a long period of time, a gradual onset of fatigue, lethargy, shortness of breath, and pallor from the anemia will result. Anemia is a condition in which the blood's iron-rich substance, hemoglobin, is diminished.

When to seek urgent medical care

Call for an appointment with your doctor if:

• You have black, tarry stools (this may be a sign of upper GI bleeding)
• You have blood in your stool
• You vomit blood or you vomit material that looks like coffee grounds

Where to find medical care for Gastrointestinal bleeding

Directions to Hospitals Treating Gastrointestinal bleeding