Scientifically known as hematemesis, vomiting blood can be explained as the backward flow of blood through the upper gastrointestinal tract. Often confused with hemoptysis, which involves coughing up blood, hematemesis is an extremely serious condition that should be treated at the earliest. Vomiting blood is not at all a normal situation and it is quite obvious for the people to panic when they see blood flowing out of their mouth. The blood comes out through the gastrointestinal tract which includes the small intestine, stomach, mouth, throat and esophagus. There may be various causes for a person to vomit out blood. Throwing up blood requires immediate medical attention, and once the cause of it known, it becomes easy to curb down the effects by killing the cause of it. This article will introduce to few of the causes of vomiting blood.
Causes Of Hematemesis
- One of the primary causes of vomiting blood can be bleeding ulcers in the stomach, first part of the small intestine or esophagus. This bleeding might get swallowed and come out through the gastrointestinal tract.
- Prolonged and vigorous retching may cause a tear in the small blood vessels of the throat or the esophagus, producing streaks of blood in the vomit. This situation is called Mallory Weiss syndrome.
- Any kind of nose condition or infection like frost bites, common cold, etc can also lead to hematemesis.
- Any defect in the blood vessels of the gastrointestinal tract can be a leading factor causing hematemesis.
- Stomach infections can also lead to blood vomiting. Any kind of stomach infection like tumors or esophagus if not treated on time will lead to flow of blood to the gastrointestinal tract.
- Erosion or irritation in the lining of the esophagus or stomach for a long period of time can also be one of the reasons for hematemesis to occur.
- Blood vomiting can also occur if you have swallowed blood from a nose bleed or crack in the blood vessels. This swallowed blood, then, makes its way out of your mouth. This situation is called ‘coffee ground’ vomit.
- Gastritis or any inflammation of the stomach lining can also be one of the causes of hematemesis. This situation is also called as peptic ulcers which usually occur due to spicy food and stressful situations.
- Blood in sputum can also lead to blood vomiting. It may so happen that you swallow blood coughed out of the lungs, which will make its way out from the gastrointestinal tract.
- A sudden trauma to your lungs may cause it to bleed. This blood might get swallowed by you, causing you to vomit out blood.
- An inflammatory disease in the liver might lead to chronic hepatitis, which apart from making you vomit blood can also prove to be very harmful for your liver.
- Cirrhosis of liver can also lead to vomiting blood. It is a serious disease that results in permanent damage to the liver, critically affecting its ability to function normally.
- Stomach cancer or gastric cancer which happens in a part of the stomach can even lead to vomiting of blood.
- Internal bleeding in the intestinal tract or gastrointestinal bleeding can lead to blood in vomits. The blood might get coughed out by the intestine, which get swallowed and come out through gastrointestinal tract.