Esophageal varices
In medicine (gastroenterology), esophageal varices are extreme dilations of sub-mucosal veins in the mucosa of the esophagus in diseases featuring portal hypertension, secondary to cirrhosis primarily.
Patients with esophageal varices have a strong tendency to develop bleeding.
Esophageal varices are disagnosed with endoscopy.
Treatment
In emergency situations, the care is directed at stopping blood loss, and maintaining plasma volume.
- banding
- sclerotherapy
See also
Other causes of GI bleeding include:
| Health science - Medicine - Gastroenterology |
| Diseases of the esophagus - stomach |
| Halitosis - Nausea - Vomiting - GERD - Achalasia - Esophageal cancer - Esophageal varices - Peptic ulcer - Abdominal pain - Stomach cancer - Functional dyspepsia |
| Diseases of the liver - pancreas - gallbladder - biliary tree |
| Hepatitis - Cirrhosis - NASH - PBC - PSC - Budd-Chiari syndrome - Hepatocellular carcinoma - Pancreatitis - Pancreatic cancer - Gallstones - Cholecystitis |
| Diseases of the small intestine |
| Peptic ulcer - Intussusception - Malabsorption (e.g. celiac disease, lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption, Whipple's disease) - Lymphoma |
| Diseases of the colon |
| Diarrhea - Appendicitis - Diverticulitis - Diverticulosis - IBD (Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis) - Irritable bowel syndrome - Constipation - Colorectal cancer - Hirschsprung's disease - Pseudomembranous colitis |