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Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is gastrointestinal bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, commonly defined as bleeding arising from the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. Blood may be observed in vomit or in altered form as black stool. Depending on the amount of the blood loss, symptoms may include shock.
An upper GI bleed is more common than lower GI bleed. [2] An upper GI bleed occurs in 50 to 150 per 100,000 adults per year. [8] A lower GI bleed is estimated to occur in 20 to 30 per 100,000 per year. [2] It results in about 300,000 hospital admissions a year in the United States. [1] Risk of death from a GI bleed is between 5% and 30%.
When present, symptoms usually relate to painless bleeding, with vomiting blood (hematemesis) and/or black stools . [3] Less often, Dieulafoy's lesions may cause rectal bleeding (hematochezia), or rarely, iron deficiency anemia. Usually, there are no gastrointestinal symptoms that precede the bleeding (abdominal pain, nausea, etc.).
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding then is reported, and is very commonly represented in elderly patients. [4] Black or bloody stools and hematemesis account for over three quarters of the case presentations. Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and unstable vital signs are common.
Esophageal varices may lead to severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding. In emergency situations, care is directed at stopping blood loss, maintaining plasma volume, correcting disorders in coagulation induced by cirrhosis, and appropriate use of antibiotics such as quinolones or ceftriaxone. Blood volume resuscitation should be done promptly and ...
Bleeding in the stomach and intestines, edema, dilated blood vessels Gastric antral vascular ectasia ( GAVE ) is an uncommon cause of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding or iron deficiency anemia . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The condition is associated with dilated small blood vessels in the gastric antrum , which is a distal part of the stomach . [ 1 ]
Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), as its name implies, aims to detect subtle blood loss in the gastrointestinal tract, anywhere from the mouth to the colon.Positive tests ("positive stool") may result from either upper gastrointestinal bleeding or lower gastrointestinal bleeding and warrant further investigation for peptic ulcers or a malignancy (such as colorectal cancer or gastric cancer).
Melena is a form of blood in stool which refers to the dark black, tarry feces that are commonly associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. [1] The black color and characteristic strong odor are caused by hemoglobin in the blood being altered by digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria.