Gastrointestinal Bleeding Summary Your digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum, and anus. Bleeding can come from any of these areas. The amount of bleeding can be so small that only a lab test can find it. Signs of bleeding in the digestive tract depend where it is and how much bleeding there is. Signs of bleeding in the upper digestive tract include Bright red blood in vomit Vomit that looks like coffee grounds Black or tarry stool Dark blood mixed with stool Signs of bleeding in the lower digestive tract include Black or tarry stool Dark blood mixed with stool Stool mixed or coated with bright red blood 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, or 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. A type of endoscopy called colonoscopy looks at the large intestine. NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Check Tools Abdominal Pain DSHI Systems Diagnosis and Tests Abdominal Pain, Long-Term American Academy of Family Physicians Abdominal Pain, Short-Term American Academy of Family Physicians Capsule Endoscopy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Fecal Occult Blood Test and Fecal Immunochemical Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry Home Use Tests: Fecal Occult Blood Food and Drug Administration Lower GI Series (Barium Enema) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases MedlinePlus: Colonoscopy National Library of Medicine Small Bowel Bleeding American College of Gastroenterology Upper GI Endoscopy National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Find an Expert American College of Gastroenterology American College of Gastroenterology ASGE: Find a Doctor American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Find a Gastroenterologist American College of Gastroenterology National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Related Issues Aspirin and NSAIDS American College of Gastroenterology Stool Color: When to Worry Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Vomiting Blood Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Array Bleeding esophageal varices Bloody or tarry stools Gastrointestinal bleeding GI bleeding – slideshow Mallory-Weiss tear Vomiting blood Start Here Bleeding in the Digestive Tract National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Children Bloody Stools in Children (Beyond the Basics) UpToDate Stool Tests Nemours Foundation Upper GI Bleeding in Children North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage National Institutes of Health Encyclopedia Enteroscopy Ferritin blood test Gastrointestinal perforation Mesenteric angiography RBC nuclear scan Stool guaiac test Specifics Esophageal Varices Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Proctitis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Proctitis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Rectal Bleeding Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Understanding Minor Rectal Bleeding American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Genetics Genetics Home Reference: Coats plus syndrome National Library of Medicine Patient Handouts Lower GI Series National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Journal Articles Gastrointestinal Bleeding Reference Desk Your Digestive System and How It Works National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
