Watermelon Stomach

Watermelon stomach is a term which is used to refer to a medical condition called Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia (GAVE). It is associated with dilated blood vessels in the antrum or the end cavity of the stomach. It is a rare gastrointestinal disease which appears in the form of the bright red streaks at the end part of the stomach, that look like watermelon streaks. This disease causes small lesions on the blood vessels of the stomach. It is also a symptom of chronic internal bleeding, inside one's stomach. The exact causes are not known yet, but it is said to be the onslaught of acute internal bleeding, which is caused due to several medical conditions.

Symptoms

Watermelon stomach can affect anyone but it commonly affects women who are 50 years of age and more. The symptoms and causes differ largely from one person to the other. Along with stomach pain, some of the most common symptoms include, fatigue, weakness, lack of concentration, headache, migraine, loss of appetite and irregular heart rate. A person suffering from this ailment can experience a distinct set of symptoms than other patients. Diarrhea, bloody diarrhea and shallow breathing are some other symptoms experienced along with the previously mentioned symptoms.

This disease is caused due to chronic internal bleeding. There are a few more symptoms which are observed which in turn are caused due to the heavy blood loss. These symptoms are confusion, lightheadedness, chest pain and heart palpitation or rapid heart rate. Sometimes, it can also cause iron deficiency (anemia) and gastrointestinal bleeding. As I said earlier, there is no distinctive cause known which leads to this problem, but there are certain gastrointestinal diseases which can lead to watermelon stomach.

Causes

Dilated blood vessels that are seen can actually be a result of numerous medical conditions. These medical conditions include liver cirrhosis, vasculitis or blood vessel inflammation inside the stomach, several heart diseases that can affect the gastrointestinal functions, abdominal trauma or injury, Grave's disease, etc. A few other causes include, chronic constipation, large bowel obstruction and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Watermelon stomach is also associated with other severe medical conditions like scleroderma, collagen vascular diseases, chronic renal failure and portal hypertension. The dilated blood vessel can erupt inside the stomach, leading to hemorrhage and excessive blood loss.

Treatment

Diagnosis of the underlying cause is extremely important to determine the course of treatment. Patient's medical history and physical examination are the initial sources for the health care provider to determine the exact cause of this syndrome. Advanced diagnostic measures may include biopsy and endoscopic investigation of the stomach tissues and the internal lining of the stomach that are performed by the gastrointestinal specialist. Treatment includes medications and/or a surgery. Endoscopic cryotherapy can be conducted to coagulate and seal the blood vessels, in order to stop the bleeding. Patients who are suffering from severe blood loss, may need a blood transfusion and several other healing methods. It is important to get an immediate treatment, in order to accelerate the healing process. Once the treatment is initialized, the patient can show complete recovery within four weeks or so.

Do not neglect any of the above mentioned symptoms. It is the best way of quicker diagnosis of watermelon stomach. Take care and stay fit!