Everything you need to know about Hematemesis (Vomiting Blood)?
It’s common to sometimes find blood in your spit after brushing and flossing your teeth or maybe after a nosebleed, but Hematemesis is a serious condition that causes you to vomit blood due to bleeding in your digestive system.
Sometimes you can also cough up blood from your lungs. The substance is usually effervescent and bright red in color and appears after a lot of coughing. This is called hemoptysis and is often confused with vomiting blood. Let’s know more about Hematemesis.
What Causes Hematemesis?
Hematemesis is caused because of bleeding in your upper digestive tract. This includes upper part of your intestine, your stomach, or the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach, called esophagus.
Some of the common hematemesis causes include:
1. Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Also known as GERD, this condition occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus and causes inflammation. Severe cases can irritate mucous membranes and cause bleeding.
2. Stomach ulcers.
It’s an open sore on the lining of the stomach, which can be very painful, also known as peptic ulcer. You may also get these sores on your intestines as well; also called duodenal ulcers. These sores can damage your arteries and cause you to vomit blood.
3. Esophageal varices.
Esophageal varices are swollen vessels in the tube from your mouth to your stomach. This happens when scars or blood clots in your liver prevent normal blood flow, causing the blood to flow small smaller blood vessels. When they swell too much, they can ooze or burst, causing bleeding that would be fatal.
4. Mallory-Weiss tear
This is a bleeding tear in the lining of the esophagus that occurs after prolonged and intense coughing or vomiting. It is often associated with heavy drinking.
Read the full blog here: The Gastrolife
