Why does pulmonary heart disease cause upper gastrointestinal bleeding?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on March 07, 2025
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Cor pulmonale is a very common type of heart disease in the clinic, mainly caused by various etiologies leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension, which results in right ventricular hypertrophy. Typically, patients with this disease have underlying pulmonary and cardiac lesions, and it mainly causes symptoms of varying degrees, such as fever, cough, expectoration, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and even difficulty breathing. Cor pulmonale is a complex disease, and if not managed properly in clinical practice, it can lead to many complications, especially respiratory failure and heart failure. This can lead to insufficient blood and oxygen supply, causing various degrees of increased pressure in the gastric vessels or vascular spasms due to hypoxia, all of which can cause patients to experience upper gastrointestinal bleeding during severe coughing, or when consuming certain foods.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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Upper gastrointestinal bleeding clinical manifestations

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding primarily refers to bleeding above the Treitz ligament. The most common causes in clinical practice are peptic ulcers, rupture of esophagogastric varices, acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis, gastric cancer, etc. The clinical manifestations of upper gastrointestinal bleeding mainly depend on the volume and speed of the bleeding, with the main symptoms being vomiting blood and black stools. After significant blood loss, patients may experience symptoms of peripheral circulatory failure due to reduced circulating blood volume, such as dizziness, palpitations, fatigue, cold limbs, increased heart rate, and low blood pressure. If the patient enters a state of shock, it could even be life-threatening.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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The most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is also relatively common clinically. The most common causes mainly include the following points: the first is bleeding from gastric and duodenal ulcers, the second category is esophageal and gastric fundal variceal rupture caused by liver cirrhosis, the third category includes bleeding caused by stress ulcers and acute erosive gastritis, and another category includes bleeding caused by gastric cancer, etc. After upper gastrointestinal bleeding occurs, blood transfusion should be administered to replenish blood volume and stop the bleeding. If conditions allow, a complete gastroscopy should be performed for endoscopic hemostasis. If drug treatment is not effective, surgical treatment may be considered, etc.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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The most common symptom of upper gastrointestinal bleeding

The most common symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding mainly include: vomiting blood, black stools, or symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, and fatigue, and even hypovolemic shock and hypovolemic anemia, etc. Therefore, when gastrointestinal bleeding occurs, if the patient has a large amount of bleeding and the bleeding is rapid, it is necessary to seek medical attention promptly, to administer fluid replenishment, volume expansion, and blood transfusion to replenish blood volume, along with symptomatic treatment such as medication and endoscopic hemostasis. If conservative treatment is ineffective, surgical treatment may be considered to avoid life-threatening risks.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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Upper digestive tract bleeding vomit color

The color of vomit in upper gastrointestinal bleeding primarily relates to the amount of bleeding and the speed of bleeding. If the patient has minor bleeding, the gastric acid may process it, resulting in the vomiting of a coffee-ground-like substance, indicating a smaller amount of bleeding. If the patient has substantial bleeding at a rapid pace, surpassing the gastric acid processing, fresh blood may often be vomited, indicating significant bleeding and a poor prognosis. After upper gastrointestinal bleeding occurs, it is crucial to seek medical attention immediately. In clinical settings, patients are usually given proton pump inhibitors and somatostatin analog drugs to stop the bleeding, and it is vital to promptly conduct a thorough gastroscopy to ascertain the causes of gastrointestinal bleeding and so forth.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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Which department should I go to for upper gastrointestinal bleeding?

The upper gastrointestinal system primarily refers to bleeding from the digestive system above the Treitz ligament. Therefore, if there is acute massive bleeding in the digestive tract, patients may present with symptoms such as vomiting blood and black stools. If the bleeding is significant and blood volume rapidly decreases, it can cause acute peripheral circulatory disorders, and may even be life-threatening. The causes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding include long-standing conditions like peptic ulcers, rupture of esophagogastric varices, acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis, and stomach cancer, among others. If upper gastrointestinal bleeding occurs, patients should actively seek medical attention at major hospitals' gastroenterology departments, undergo relevant examinations, and receive prompt treatment.