Vomiting Blood (Hematemesis): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Hematemesis is neither common nor a normal condition. It is the emergency sign where the patient vomits blood continuously. Do not wait for anyone if you or anybody near you shows any such symptoms along with other symptoms like dizziness and fainting. Take the patient to the nearest healthcare centre to initiate their treatment process as soon as possible.

Anyone can vomit blood. Be it a healthy person or an older adult. Unfortunately, children and infants may also vomit blood. Read the article below and be cautious about the evils of hematemesis. 

What Is Hematemesis?

Hematemesis is the medical condition that defines vomiting blood. The colour of the vomit may be bright red, like fresh blood or a bit brownish, like coffee. If the blood is older and coagulated, it will appear darker. Moreover, a patient may vomit only blood or along with stomach contents. 

What Causes Hematemesis?

If you swallow the blood from your nose, bleeding, you may spit blood. But that is not the condition of hematemesis. Hematemesis, instead, is a much more complicated issue. When the upper portion of your gastrointestinal tract experiences inflammation resulting in bleeding, you are likely to vomit blood. The digestive tract includes the oesophagus, stomach and the upper part of the small intestine.

Inflammation in the duodenum may also cause vomiting of blood. In either case, it should be taken seriously. Hematemesis is an emergency for the patient and should be taken under medical supervision immediately. 

Though the common cause of vomiting blood is internal bleeding, because of the inflammation in the digestive tract and peptic ulcers, there could be other grave underlying causes. You must treat Hematemesis as a sign of severe problems in your body. The series of probable causes of Hematemesis is as follows:

• Acute liver failure: your liver suddenly stops working, and the condition deteriorates fast
• Overdose of Aspirin
• Benign tumours in the oesophagus or stomach
• Liver cirrhosis: a late-stage of liver damage that scars your liver
• Problems in the blood vessels of the gastrointestinal tract
• Dieulafoy’s lesion: an artery bulging out through the walls of the stomach
• Duodenitis: inflammation in the upper portion of the small intestine
• Esophagitis: an inflamed sensation in the oesophagus
• Esophageal varices: a condition when the veins of the oesophagus get enlarged
• Esophageal cancer
• Certain medications like NSAIDs and others may break the tissue lining the stomach causing gastric erosions
• Liver failure or portal hypertension may lead to the enlargement of stomach veins, a condition called gastric varice
• Common inflammation on the lining of the stomach causes a condition called gastritis.
• Dilated blood vessels in the stomach lining may result in bleeding, a gastropathy infection. 
• Mallory-Weiss tear: excessive vomiting and coughing create adverse pressure on the oesophagus and tear it
• Peptic ulcer
• Pancreatitis
• Pancreatic cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Too much vomiting

Unfortunately, infants and young children may also vomit blood. The probable causes of Hematemesis in children are as follows:

• Any defects during birth
• Problems in the clotting of blood
• Allergy from milk
• Baby swallowing blood from mother during birth
• Swallowing solid objects
• Deficiency in vitamin K

Other Symptoms

Vomiting blood itself is the most prominent symptom you should consider. It is not natural or common to vomit blood or blood-like substances. Moreover, if you experience any of the following symptoms, rush to the nearest healthcare centre as fast as possible. Visit the emergency department and relay the conditions to the doctors.

• Frequent and shallow breathing
• Fast heartbeat
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness, especially when you stand up
• Blurry vision
• Fainting
• Nausea
• Pale skin
• Clammy or cold skin
• Confusion
• Low urine output

Diagnosis and Treatment

Since vomiting blood is an emergency, doctors often skip the diagnosis for the time being and initiate treatment to stop the vomiting. Once you stabilise, your doctor will begin the diagnosis.

Diagnosis

After you get better at speaking, your doctor will start the primary step of diagnosis. They will ask questions about your health issues and the following symptoms. They will also run a background check of all the medicines you have been taking so far. If you have faced any accidents in recent times, you must tell them about that.

After the primary session, they might prescribe:

• Endoscopy to check into your gastrointestinal tract or GI tract.
• Complete blood count (CBC Blood Test) to assess the amount of blood loss.

You may vomit blood due to some other complications. If the doctor feels that the internal bleeding is the effect of some other complications, they might prescribe imaging tests like:

• X-ray
• CT Scan
• MRI Scan
• Ultrasound
• PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography)
• Rectum exam
• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)

The type of diagnosis largely depends on the symptoms of Hematemesis. If your doctor feels the presence of any unusual tissue, they may also ask you for a biopsy.

Treatment

Doctors initiate the primary treatment to stop vomiting. They will stabilise your blood pressure, breathing difficulties and other immediate complications to keep you normal. You will receive breathing help, blood transfusion and necessary medicines to keep your blood pressure normal and lower the acid levels in your stomach.

After you get a bit better, your doctor will initiate the proper treatment after diagnosing the actual cause of the bleeding. You will get medications and IV fluids for that. In major cases, surgery is the only option to save you. 

Book CBC Test

In Summary

In short, Hematemesis is an emergency condition. You must visit the hospital as soon as possible to stop vomiting blood. If you vomited earlier and feel sick, you should not waste time. There could be other grave dangers waiting for you. Vomiting blood is a vital sign of underlying health disorders.

Metropolis Healthcare has been carrying out all the said tests since its foundation. As one of the leading diagnostic chains in the country, Metropolis Healthcare is trustworthy and the best in India. It has one of the largest chains of pathological centres and has units in almost every city in India.

Some of the assured features of Metropolis Healthcare are as follows:

• Collects the required amount of samples in a single go
• Painless experience while drawing blood samples
• Latest technology machines
• Cleaned and sanitised equipment and labs
• Every staff follows the newest safety guidelines to avoid any contamination
• Special care to every visitor, especially children and older patients
• Checked and verified test reports with doctor’s affirmation within 24 hours

Final Takeaway

• Hematemesis is an emergency condition.
• Be sure to visit the nearest hospital as soon as possible.
• It could be a sign of other severe underlying complications.
• Visit Metropolis Healthcare for Hematemesis tests with a doctor’s prescription.