Intestinal ischemia (is-KEE-me-uh) describes a variety of conditions that occur when blood flow to your intestines decreases due to a blockage, usually in an artery. Intestinal ischemia can affect your small intestine, your large intestine (colon) or both.
Intestinal ischemia is a serious condition that can cause pain and make it difficult for your intestines to work. In severe cases, loss of blood flow to the intestines can damage intestinal tissue and lead to death.
Treatments are available for intestinal ischemia. To improve the chances of recovery, it's crucial to recognize the early symptoms and get medical help right away.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Signs and symptoms of intestinal ischemia can develop suddenly (acute) or gradually (chronic). The condition presents differently in different people, so no one set of signs and symptoms indicates intestinal ischemia, but there are some generally recognized patterns.
Signs and symptoms of acute intestinal ischemia typically include:
Signs and symptoms of chronic intestinal ischemia can include:
Seek immediate medical care if you have sudden, severe abdominal pain. Pain that makes you so uncomfortable that you can't sit still or find a comfortable position is a medical emergency.
If you have other signs or symptoms that worry you, make an appointment with your doctor.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Intestinal ischemia occurs when the blood flow through the major arteries that supply blood to your intestines slows or stops. The condition has many potential causes, including a blockage in an artery caused by a blood clot, or a narrowing of an artery due to buildup of deposits, such as cholesterol. Blockages also can occur in veins, but they're less common.
Whatever the cause, diminished blood flow within your digestive tract leaves cells without enough oxygen, which causes the cells to weaken and die. If damage is severe enough, infection, gangrene and eventually a hole (perforation) in the wall of the intestines can occur. If untreated, intestinal ischemia can be fatal.
Intestinal ischemia is often divided into categories:
This most common type of intestinal ischemia occurs when blood flow to the colon is slowed. It most often affects adults older than 60, although it can develop at any age.
Signs and symptoms of colon ischemia include rectal bleeding and the sudden onset of mild, crampy abdominal pain. The cause of diminished blood flow to the colon isn't always clear, but a number of conditions can make you more vulnerable to colon ischemia:
This type of intestinal ischemia usually affects the small intestine. It has an abrupt onset and may be due to:
Chronic mesenteric ischemia, also known as intestinal angina, results from the buildup of fatty deposits on an artery wall (atherosclerosis). The disease process is generally gradual, and you may not require treatment until at least two of the three major arteries supplying your intestines become severely narrowed or completely obstructed.
A potentially dangerous complication of chronic mesenteric ischemia is the development of a blood clot within a diseased artery, causing blood flow to be suddenly blocked (acute mesenteric ischemia).
A blood clot can develop in a vein draining deoxygenated blood from your intestines. When the vein is blocked, blood backs up in the intestines, causing swelling and bleeding. This is called mesenteric venous thrombosis, and it may result from:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
If your doctor suspects intestinal ischemia, you may undergo several diagnostic tests, based on your signs and symptoms, including:
Using dye to track blood flow through the arteries. During angiography, a long, thin tube (catheter) is inserted into an artery in your groin or arm, then passed through the artery to the aorta. A dye is injected that flows directly to your intestinal arteries. X-ray images are then taken that show the dye moving through your arteries.
If you have intestinal ischemia, the images may show a blocked or narrowed artery. Angiography also allows the doctor to treat a blockage in an artery by injecting medication or using special tools to widen an artery.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Complications of intestinal ischemia can include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Factors that may increase your risk of intestinal ischemia include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
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