Causes

• gastric or duodenal ulcers
• gastric erosions
• varices
• Mallory-Weiss tear
• oesophagitis

• tumours ^b
• angiodysplasia

Note:

Ulcers, erosions and varices are the commonest causes of upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage

Differential diagnosis b c	% (95% CI)
duodenal ulcer	24% (23% to 26%)
gastric erosions	24% (22% to 25%)
gastric ulcer	21% (20% to 23%)
varices	10% (9.0% to 12%)
Mallory-Weiss tear	7.2% (6.1% to 8.3%)
oesophagitis	6.3% (5.3% to 7.3%)
erosive duodenitis	5.8% (4.8% to 6.7%)
neoplasm	2.9% (2.2% to 3.6%)
stomal ulcer	1.8% (1.3% to 2.4%)
oesophageal ulcer	1.7% (1.1% to 2.2%)
Osler-Rendu-Weber telangiectasia	0.49% (0.20% to 0.79%)
other	6.3% (5.2% to 7.3%)