Also called: 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
- Hemorrhoids
- Peptic ulcers
- Tears or inflammation in the esophagus
- Diverticulosis and diverticulitis
- Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
- Colonic polyps
- Cancer in the colon, stomach or esophagus
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
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Bleeding in the Digestive Tract
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/bleeding/
- Understanding GI Bleeding(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gibleeding/index.asp
- Doctors' Groups Collaborate on Care for Heart Patients(10/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70260.html
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Abdominal Pain(DSHI Systems) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.freemd.com/abdominal-pain/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Abdominal Pain, Short-Term(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/527.printerview.html
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Colonoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonoscopy/
- Fecal Occult Blood Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/fecal_occult_blood/test.html
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Flexible Sigmoidoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/sigmoidoscopy/
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Lower GI Series (Barium Enema)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lowergi/
- Small Bowel Bleeding and Capsule Endoscopy(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/smallbowel.asp
- Understanding Capsule Endoscopy(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=390
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Upper Endoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/upperendoscopy/
- Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=tips
- Anal Fissure(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/anal-fissure/DS00762/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Dieulafoy's Lesion: How Is It Treated?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dieulafoys-lesion/AN00705/METHOD=print
- Esophageal Varices(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/esophageal-varices/DS00820/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Meckel's Diverticulum(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/digestive/disorders/547.printerview.html
- Proctitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/proctitis/DS00705/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Rectal Bleeding(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/rectal-bleeding/DG00015/METHOD=print
- Blood in Vomit or Vomiting Blood(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/vomiting-blood/DG00045/METHOD=print
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Dangers of Aspirin and NSAIDS(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/women/asprin.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/cgp/pdf/Spnsaids.pdf
- Stool Color: When to Worry(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/stool-color/AN00772/METHOD=print
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Colonoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/colonoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/colonoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Sigmoidoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/sigmoidoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/sigmoidoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Upper GI Endoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/uppergiendoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/uppergiendoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
- Atlas of the Body: The Digestive System(American Medical Association) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ7C4T46JC&sub_cat=511
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Your Digestive System and How It Works(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/
Also available in Spanish http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/yrdd/index.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Gastrointestinal+Hemorrhage%22
- Consensus Document Outlines Practical Steps for Reducing Gastrointestinal Risks(American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American College of Gastroenterology) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=539
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Management of acute gastrointestinal blood loss: summary of SIGN guidelines. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18849311&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Endoscopic management of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18796089&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Anticoagulant-induced intramural intestinal hematoma: report of three cases and literature... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18788704&tool=MedlinePlus
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=Gastrointestinal+Hemorrhage[majr]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Gastrointestinal+Bleeding
- Colorectal (Colon) Cancer: Glossary(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/glossary/
- American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Find a Doctor(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/Apps/FindADoctor/search.aspx
- GI Physician Locator(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/phylocator.asp
- American College of Gastroenterology - http://www.acg.gi.org/
- American Gastroenterological Association - http://www.gastro.org/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- Lower GI Bleeding in Children(North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - Links to PDF - http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/pdf/diseaseInfo/LowerGI-E.pdf
- Stool Tests(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/labtest8.html
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Upper GI Bleeding in Children(North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - Links to PDF - http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/pdf/diseaseInfo/UpperGI-E.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/pdf/diseaseInfo/UpperGI-S.pdf
- Hemorrhoids - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hemorrhoids.html
- Peptic Ulcer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pepticulcer.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
- Symptoms - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/symptoms.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Gastrointestinal Bleeding is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
Gastrointestinal Bleeding - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/gastrointestinalbleeding.html