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Angiodysplasia of Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract

Angiodysplasia of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is bleeding in certain organs in your digestive system. The condition happens when abnormal blood vessels leak blood. Symptoms include fatigue and weakness from blood loss or bleeding from your rectum. Treatment depends on your symptoms, but may be blood transfusions, iron transfusions or surgery.

What Is Angiodysplasia of Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract?

Angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract is a common type of gastrointestinal bleeding. It typically affects people age 60 and older. Healthcare providers may call this condition gastrointestinal angiodysplasia (GIAD).

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Angiodysplasia is the medical term for abnormal blood vessels. In angiodysplasia of GI tract, abnormal blood vessels leak blood. This condition can affect any part of your GI tract. But it typically develops in your colon (which is in your large intestine), your small intestine or your stomach.

The condition may not cause symptoms. You may find out you have angiodysplasia of GI tract after you have tests for other issues that affect your GI tract.

Bleeding from angiodysplasia of GI tract often goes away on its own. But it can come back if abnormal blood vessels start leaking blood again.

Symptoms and Causes

Symptoms of angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract

The most common symptoms happen when blood loss leads to iron-deficiency anemia. This condition causes symptoms, including:

  • Fatigue
  • Shortness of breath
  • Weakness

Other symptoms are changes in your poop or when you poop. Those are:

  • Bright red blood (rectal bleeding) that you see in the toilet or when you wipe
  • Melena (black stool) that’s sticky or tarry and smells very bad

Angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract causes

Experts don’t know the exact cause of this condition. One theory is that blood vessels weaken and leak as we get older. Another theory involves the rare condition gastric arteriovenous malformation (AVM). An AVM is a cluster of abnormal blood vessels that can swell and leak blood.

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Risk factors

Having certain medical conditions or taking certain medications may increase your risk. Medical conditions that may increase your risk include:

Medications that help with blood flow (blood thinners) may increase your risk. Those medications include:

Sometimes, receiving a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) may lead to angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract.

Complications of angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract

Rarely, this condition can cause heavy bleeding that can lead to severe anemia.

Diagnosis and Tests

How doctors diagnose angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract

A healthcare provider may do different tests to diagnose this condition. For example, you may have blood tests or imaging tests. A provider may do procedures to see what’s happening in your GI tract.

Blood tests

You may have blood tests that detect anemia or other conditions that can cause GI bleeding. Tests may include:

Imaging tests

Imaging tests to diagnose angiodysplasia of GI tract are:

  • Angiogram
  • CT scan
  • Radionuclide scan uses safe levels of radioactive material to highlight red blood cells

Procedures

Your provider may use a procedure, such as:

Management and Treatment

How is angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract treated?

There’s no single treatment for this condition. Healthcare providers will tailor treatment to your situation. For example, if the condition causes anemia, a provider may recommend supportive care. They may do procedures to find the abnormal blood vessels and stop the bleeding.

Supportive care

This is treatment for anemia. Supportive care may include:

Procedures

Providers may combine procedures. First, they find the abnormal blood vessels. Then, they block or close them. Examples of combined procedures are:

Your provider may recommend surgery if you have heavy bleeding. Surgery involves removing the section of your intestine that the condition affects.

Recovery time

Your recovery time will depend on the procedure healthcare providers use. In some cases, you may need to rest for a day after your treatment. But some procedures involve an overnight stay in the hospital. If you’re receiving treatment, ask your healthcare provider what to expect.

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When should I seek care?

Talk to a healthcare provider if you feel very tired all the time, weak or short of breath. These are anemia symptoms. Blood in the toilet after you poop or wipe is another reason to contact a provider.

Contact your provider if your symptoms come back after treatment or get worse.

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Outlook / Prognosis

What can I expect if I have angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract?

Bleeding from this condition often goes away on its own. When it doesn’t, there are treatments that can keep abnormal blood vessels from leaking blood. Treatments typically solve the issue.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Many conditions cause fatigue — feeling tired all the time no matter how much rest you get. But fatigue is a common symptom of angiodysplasia of the gastrointestinal tract. In this condition, abnormal blood vessels leak blood, so you develop iron-deficiency anemia. Another symptom is spotting blood in the toilet or after you wipe. Both symptoms are a reason to talk to a healthcare provider. They’ll find out the causes of your symptoms. Then, they’ll recommend the treatment that’s right for you.

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Medically Reviewed

Last reviewed on 09/30/2025.

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