In this article, we have examined gastrointestinal bleeding or digestive tract bleeding.... GI means digestive in correction.... The digestive system is a medical term for all the internal organs of the body that work in the food process.... The digestive tract includes the following: - Esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) - Stomach - Small intestine - Large intestine Gastrointestinal bleeding occurs when any of these organs begin to bleed. In such cases, it is very difficult to diagnose bleeding because these events occur inside the body and it is not possible to see it. The digestive system is bleeding. What are the symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding? The symptoms of bleeding may be different depending on whether the bleeding is low or high. The patient is observed... (red blood cells decrease) Symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding can include the following: 1- Vomiting blood or the presence of things like coffee in the vomit 2- Diarrhea or black feces (of course, this symptom may also be seen during bleeding from the lower part of the digestive tract, although the probability of this is less) Symptoms of lower gastrointestinal bleeding can include: 1- Bloody stools (this condition can also be seen in bleeding from the upper part of the digestive system, which is less common) Also, the symptoms that are observed along with upper and lower digestive tract bleeding are: 1- Feeling weak and dizzy, especially when you lose a lot of blood 2- High heart rate (palpitations) in case of excessive blood loss 3- Leg pain or stomach pain 4- Diarrhea 5- Skin thickening Do you need to see a doctor? If you have symptoms like the following, it's best to see a doctor as soon as possible... vomiting blood or the presence of things like coffee grounds in the vomit... stool that is tarry or with blood Feeling weak, dizzy or tired heartbeat Severe abdominal pain What causes gastrointestinal bleeding?. The most common causes of gastrointestinal bleeding are: Ulcers in the stomach or small intestine Swollen veins in the esophagus called varicose veins Nonneural blood vessels or AVMs Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (conditions that can cause ulcers in the intestines) Hemorrhoids or piles Cancer (rarely of course!) Is there a test to diagnose gastrointestinal bleeding? Yes.... If the doctor suspects gastrointestinal bleeding, he can prescribe one of these tests or even several of them together to diagnose gastrointestinal bleeding: ### 1- Blood test Blood tests to check for the following may be prescribed for your condition: Detecting the amount of red blood cells that should be sufficient in the body Determine whether blood clots normally Does the liver work normally or not? ### 2- Upper endoscopy For endoscopy, you will be prescribed a sedative to make you sleep... Then the doctor will put a thin tube called an endoscope in your mouth... At the end of the tube there is a camera that sends images of the digestive system to the monitor... If the doctor sees signs of bleeding, he can use tools that work more with the endoscope... For information, click on the image below... ### 3- colonoscopy This procedure is similar to endoscopy, except that it is done through the rectum and anus.. If you want to know more about this procedure, click on the image below: ### 4- Imaging tests These tests include placing weak radioactive chemicals in the blood that the doctor can trace the blood in. ### 5- Endoscopy capsule In this test, a small camera the size of a vitamin pill is used. The patient has to swallow the camera and the images are sent to a recording device that is placed on the belt. How is the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding? Depending on the amount of blood you've lost or the cause of the bleeding, you may be offered one or more of the following treatments... - Receiving oxygen through a mask or tube that goes under your nose.. - an injection of blood or fluids into one of your veins (to replace lost blood) - Stomach acid-reducing drugs These drugs help clean and empty the intestines (so doctors can clearly see what's going on inside the intestines). - Antibiotics A small tube is inserted through the nose and throat so that the doctor can wash the stomach Also, depending on where the bleeding occurs, your doctor may prescribe an upper endoscopy or colonoscopy. This helps the doctor find the bleeding points. Also, the doctor can use these two methods to find the veins and stop the bleeding. Is it possible to prevent the bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract? You can increase your chances of dealing with gastrointestinal bleeding by using the following strategies Never use NSAIDs unless prescribed by your doctor. These drugs can cause ulcers in the digestive tract. Examples of these drugs are aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. If you have to use these drugs, your doctor may prescribe another drug to reduce the risk of bleeding. > Dr. Mehdi Afzal Aghaei, a specialist in digestive and liver diseases in Mashhad, has a specialized board > > To schedule an appointment, you can call (051) 38704066 every day... > > Office address: Mashhad, Kausar Blvd., between Kausar 2 and 4 - Farabi Building - 2nd floor **Gastroenterologist in Mashhad** ==================================== **\*Gastroenterologist in Mashhad\***