Why is gastrointestinal bleeding a complication of cirrhosis?
1 Answer
Because cirrhosis causes hypertension in the veins of the gastrointestinal tract.
Explanation:
Cirrhosis is a disease in which healthy tissue of the liver is replaced with scar tissue. This scar tissue not only prevents the liver from functioning properly, it also restricts the flow of blood to the liver.
The major vessel that leads blood to the liver is the protal vein, in cirrhosis the pressure in this vessel can become too high. This is called portal hypertension.
Portal hypertension also influences the pressure in other vessels in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Around the esophagus and stomach abnormally dilated vessels are often observed in these cases. The dilated vessels are called varices which are very fragile and can rupture easily. This is the main cause of the bleedings observed in patients with cirrhosis.
Portal hypertension can also cause what is called portal hypertensive gastropathy. This includes changes in the blood vessels of the stomach which can cause bleeding in the stomach.
