Developer site: The content shown here is test data.

MyEClinic
MyEClinic
Health Dictionary AI Health Chat Find an Online Doctor
A serene Zen garden with raked sand and smooth stones, symbolising clarity and calm

Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

Back to skin conditions

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding risk factors

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Common risk factors in the development of lower GI bleeding include advancing age, previous history of gastrointestinal bleeding, chronic constipation, hematologic disorders, medications such as anticoagulants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Risk Factors

Risk Factors

Common risk factors in the development of lower GI bleeding include:[1][2][3][4]

Risk factor Pathophysiology of bleeding
Chronic constipation Results in colonic diverticula and predispose patients to anal fissures and hemorrhoid formation
Hematologic disorders Deficiencies in clotting factors, such as factor VII and factor VIII, predispose to LGIB
Anticoagulants Patients taking warfarin, heparin, aspirin, and platelet inhibitors are at increased risk of bleeding in general
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs cause ulceration in the terminal ileum and proximal colon, and can exacerbate IBD
Human immunodeficiency virus In patients with HIV, bleeding is caused by opportunistic infections, cytomegalovirus colitis, Kaposi sarcoma, or lymphoma
References

References

  1. ↑ Navuluri R, Kang L, Patel J, Van Ha T (2012). “Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding”. Semin Intervent Radiol. 29 (3): 178–86. doi:10.1055/s-0032-1326926. PMC 3577586. PMID 23997409.
  2. ↑ Strate LL (2005). “Lower GI bleeding: epidemiology and diagnosis”. Gastroenterol. Clin. North Am. 34 (4): 643–64. doi:10.1016/j.gtc.2005.08.007. PMID 16303575.
  3. ↑ Ríos A, Montoya MJ, Rodríguez JM, Serrano A, Molina J, Ramírez P, Parrilla P (2007). “Severe acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding: risk factors for morbidity and mortality”. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 392 (2): 165–71. doi:10.1007/s00423-006-0117-6. PMID 17131153.
  4. ↑ Strate LL, Orav EJ, Syngal S (2003). “Early predictors of severity in acute lower intestinal tract bleeding”. Arch. Intern. Med. 163 (7): 838–43. doi:10.1001/archinte.163.7.838. PMID 12695275.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Ganti M.B.B.S. [2]