A common cause of upper GI inflammation (gastritis, esophagitis) or an ulcer is a bacterial infection known as H. The most common causes include peptic ulcer, gastritis, and/or esophagitis. Warning: Bright red vomit is a sign of severe bleeding and is very serious. Severe bleeding can irritate the GI tract, leading to vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
If the bleeding is mild, upper abdominal pain or black stools may be your first sign of bleeding. It can be mild or severe and life-threatening. Gastrointestinal bleeding is internal bleeding from the esophagus, stomach, or the small intestine. Black or tarry stools from digested blood.Fatigue/lightheadedness due to blood loss.Upper abdominal pain that gets worse when you eat.Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding Symptoms Especially if you keep vomiting or have dizziness, heart palpitations, chest pain, or shortness of breath.Ĭauses 1. If your vomit is brown or black, immediately go to the ER. It’s important to treat dark vomit as a medical emergency. Less common causes include esophageal varices (abnormally enlarged blood vessels), liver failure, and tumors that break through tissue in the GI tract. Gastric ulcers and gastritis can also cause upper abdominal pain that gets worse when you eat and black or tarry-looking stools. Inflammation of the stomach lining from things like nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs like Advil), infections, and smoking.It is often called coffee ground vomitus (the partially digested blood looks like coffee grounds) and is caused by bleeding in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract.ĭark vomit often comes from bleeding in the stomach. Black or brown vomit may mean that you are bleeding internally. The color of your vomit can be a sign of a potentially life-threatening problem.