U.S. National Library of MedicineNational Institutes of Health
Skip navigation
MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You
Contact Us FAQs Site Map About MedelinePlus
español

Printer-friendly version E-mail this page to a friend
Illustration of the digestive system organs
  • Related Topics

  • Go Local

    • Services and providers for Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the U.S.
  • National Institutes of Health

  • Languages

Also called: GI bleeding

Your digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract includes the espophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum and anus. Bleeding can come from one or more of these areas. The amount of bleeding can be so small that only a lab test can find it.

GI bleeding is not a disease, but a symptom of a disease. There are many possible causes of GI bleeding, including

The test used most often to look for the cause of GI bleeding is called endoscopy. It uses a flexible instrument inserted through the mouth or rectum to view the inside of the GI tract.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here