Also called: GI bleeding
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Your digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum, and anus. Bleeding can come from any of these areas. The amount of bleeding can be so small that only a lab test can find it.
Signs of bleeding in the digestive tract depend on where it is and how much bleeding there is.
Signs of bleeding in the upper digestive tract include:
- Bright red blood in vomit
- Vomit that looks like coffee grounds
- Black or tarry stool
- Dark blood mixed with stool
Signs of bleeding in the lower digestive tract include:
- Black or tarry stool
- Dark blood mixed with stool
- Stool mixed or coated with bright red blood
GI bleeding is not a disease, but a symptom of a disease. There are many possible causes of GI bleeding, including hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, tears or inflammation in the esophagus, diverticulosis and diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, colonic polyps, or cancer in the colon, stomach or esophagus.
The test used most often to look for the cause of GI bleeding is called endoscopy. It uses a flexible instrument inserted through the mouth or rectum to view the inside of the GI tract. A type of endoscopy called colonoscopy looks at the large intestine.
It sits within Digestive System and Symptoms.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Gastrointestinal Bleeding
830 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Deep Neuromuscular Blockade and a Low-Residue Diet for the Surgical Field in vNOTES HysterectomyFatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital
- Zastaprazan for the prEvention of Upper GI Bleeding in Ischemic StrokeAsan Medical Center
- A Disposable Endoscopic Closing Device Used for the Closure of Gastrointestinal TissueJiangsu Vedkang Medical Science and Technology Co., Ltd
- Onyx™ Liquid Embolic IDE Clinical StudyMedtronic Endovascular
- Reducing Gastrointestinal Bleeding With Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy in Acute Venous ThromboembolismOttawa Hospital Research Institute
- The BD Liverty™ TIPS Stent Graft StudyC. R. Bard
Research already completed
- Temozolomide (TMZ) In Advanced Succinate Dehydrogenase (SDH)-Mutant/Deficient Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST)Adam Burgoyne, MD, PhD
- Development of 4D Flow MRI for Risk Stratification of Variceal Bleeding in CirrhosisUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison
- High Gastrointestinal Bleed Risk Outcomes in Patients With Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation (NVAF) in FrancePfizer
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Gastrointestinal (GI) BleedingNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- GI bleeding - seriesMedical Encyclopedia
Diagnosis and Tests
- Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain), Long-TermAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain), Short-TermAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Capsule EndoscopyMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Colonoscopy: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
- Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)National Library of Medicine
- Lower GI Series (Barium Enema)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Small Bowel BleedingAmerican College of Gastroenterology
- Upper GI EndoscopyNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Related Issues
- Stool Color: When to WorryMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Vomiting BloodMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastrointestinal HemorrhageNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Gastrointestinal Bleeding, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.