Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a symptom of a disorder in your digestive tract.

The
blood often appears in stool or vomit but isn't always visible, though it may cause the
stool to look black or tarry. The level of bleeding can range from mild to severe and
can be life-threatening.

Sophisticated imaging technology, when needed, can usually locate the cause of the
bleeding. Treatment depends on the source of the bleeding.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of GI bleeding can be either obvious (overt) or hidden (occult).
Signs and symptoms depend on the location of the bleed, which can be anywhere on
the GI tract, from where it starts — the mouth — to where it ends — the anus — and
the rate of bleeding.

Overt bleeding might show up as:

 Vomiting blood, which might be red or might be dark brown and resemble
coffee grounds in texture

 Black, tarry stool

 Rectal bleeding, usually in or with stool

With occult bleeding, you might have:

 Lightheadedness

 Difficulty breathing
 Fainting
 Chest pain
 Abdominal pain

Symptoms of shock

If your bleeding starts abruptly and progresses rapidly, you could go into shock.
Signs and symptoms of shock include:

 Drop in blood pressure

 Not urinating or urinating infrequently, in small amounts

 Rapid pulse
  Unconsciousness

Overview
 Esophageal varices
 Esophageal varices are abnormal, enlarged veins in the tube that connects
the throat and stomach (esophagus). This condition occurs most often in
people with serious liver diseases.
 Esophageal varices develop when normal blood flow to the liver is blocked by
a clot or scar tissue in the liver. To go around the blockages, blood flows into
smaller blood vessels that aren't designed to carry large volumes of blood.
The vessels can leak blood or even rupture, causing life-threatening bleeding.

Symptoms

Esophageal varices usually don't cause signs and symptoms unless they bleed.
Signs and symptoms of bleeding esophageal varices include:

 Vomiting large amounts of blood

 Black, tarry or bloody stools

 Lightheadedness
 Loss of consciousness in severe cases

Your doctor might suspect esophageal varices if you have signs of liver disease,
including:

 Yellow coloration of your skin and eyes (jaundice)

 Easy bleeding or bruising

 Fluid buildup in your abdomen (ascites)