The digestive, or gastrointestinal (GI), tract runs from the esophagus through the stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon) and rectum to the anus. Bleeding can come from any of these, and it can be so slight that only a lab test finds it.
Signs
What you notice depends on where the bleeding is and how much.
| Upper digestive tract | Lower digestive tract |
|---|---|
| bright red blood in vomit | black or tarry stool |
| vomit that looks like coffee grounds | dark blood mixed with stool |
| black or tarry stool | stool mixed or coated with bright red blood |
| dark blood mixed with stool |
A symptom, not a disease
GI bleeding is a sign of something else. Possible causes include:
- hemorrhoids;
- peptic ulcers;
- tears or inflammation in the esophagus;
- diverticulosis and diverticulitis;
- ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease;
- colonic polyps;
- cancer of the colon, stomach or esophagus.
Finding the cause
The test used most is endoscopy: a flexible instrument passed through the mouth or rectum to look inside the GI tract. Colonoscopy is the kind that examines the large intestine.
Sources
Based on "Gastrointestinal Bleeding," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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