What should you know about GERD and blood in vomit?

Acid Reflux can inflame the food pipe. Forceful vomiting or repeated coughing can also cause small tears or irritation, but blood in vomit can indicate bleeding higher in the digestive tract. It may look bright red, dark brown, or like coffee grounds. The appearance alone cannot show how serious the source is.

Other symptoms help clinicians judge urgency. Watch for abdominal pain, chest tightness, dizziness, faintness, black stools, weakness, or difficulty breathing. A Hiatus Hernia, medicines that affect bleeding, and other digestive problems may be relevant. Obesity can be associated with reflux, but it does not explain away blood.

Seek urgent medical advice today and do not drive yourself if you feel faint or weak. Do not eat or drink large amounts while waiting for advice, and avoid alcohol and anti-inflammatory painkillers unless a clinician has told you to take them. Keep a list of medicines and note the amount and appearance of the blood. Do not stop essential prescribed treatment without medical guidance.

Call emergency services immediately for heavy or ongoing bleeding, coffee-ground vomit with weakness, fainting, confusion, severe abdominal or chest pain, cold clammy skin, or trouble breathing. Black, tar-like stools alongside vomiting blood are also an emergency warning.

Where might the bleeding be coming from? Could my medicines or repeated vomiting be contributing? Do I need examination, blood tests or further assessment, and how should my reflux treatment change?