Gastrointestinal bleeding

About

GI bleeding can result from a number of digestive disorders, including:

• Peptic ulcers
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Diverticulosis
• Hemorrhoids
• Colon polyps
• Rectal prolapse
• Abnormalities in blood vessels in the digestive tract
• Cancerous tumors

GI bleeding can be visible in the form of vomiting of blood, bright red bloody stools or black tarry stools (melena). Even a small amount of GI bleeding that isn't visible can result over time in a shortage of red blood cells in your blood (anemia).

Pinpointing the source of GI bleeding can be especially difficult if it starts in the small intestine. When the source can't be identified, the term obscure GI bleeding is used.