Pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding

What is pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding?

Pediatric GI bleeding includes any bleeding that happens in your child’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

A child with GI bleeding may have vomiting with blood or they may have bleeding during or between bowel movements.

GI bleeding is a symptom of a medical problem, such as an ulcer or colon polyps.

What are the signs and symptoms of pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding?

The symptoms of GI bleeding depend on if the bleeding is happening in the upper or lower portion of the gastrointestinal tract.

Los síntomas pueden incluir:

• Abdominal cramps

• Anemia (low iron in the blood)

• Black, tar-like stool

• Sangre en las heces

• Diarrea

• Mareos

• Fatiga (cansancio extremo)

• Piel pálida

• Dificultad para respirar

• Vómitos de sangre

What are the causes of pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding?

The most common causes of GI bleeding in children include:

• Anal fissures

• Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus)

• Diarrea

• Diverticulitis

• Esophageal varices (enlarged veins in the esophagus that tear)

• Gastritis (stomach inflammation)

• Immature digestive system (in infants)

• IBD (enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal)

• Maternal blood ingestion (at birth or during breastfeeding)

• Milk protein allergy

• Peptic ulcer disease

• Polyps in the colon

• Vascular lesions

• Vitamin K deficiency at birth