What Causes Coffee Ground Vomitus?

Esophageal Varices

Esophageal varices is a term used to describe abnormal vessels that are enlarged and located in the esophagus. This symptom most often develops when the blood flow to and around the liver is obstructed as a result of disorders that cause excessive blood clotting, certain parasitic infections, or liver cirrhosis. An affected individual's blood makes a detour or flows through an alternate route by using the smaller blood vessels not made to accommodate large volumes of blood. These blood vessels dilate, swell, bulge, leak, and can rupture, causing a bleed in the digestive tract. Blood that leaks or comes from ruptured blood vessels in the esophagus may drain into the stomach contents. If the patient experiences problems with their digestive processes or other problems that cause them to vomit, this partially coagulated blood that has been in their stomach from their esophagus can present as coffee ground vomitus.

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Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a potentially deadly and serious flu-like illness transmitted to humans by infected mosquitos. Yellow fever is caused by the Flavivirus and can only be transmitted from mosquito to human and not human to human. The incubation period of this virus is between three and six days after the first exposure. Mild symptoms develop and last for between twenty-four and forty-eight hours before they subside. Some individuals develop symptoms on a more severe scale again after another twenty-four hours have elapsed. This toxic phase of yellow fever is referred to as viral hemorrhagic fever and occurs when the virus attacks and damages the blood vessels in multiple organ systems in an individual's body. This mechanism results in massive internal bleeding, liver damage, high fever, kidney damage, and multi-system organ failure. Internal bleeding that affects the digestive tract can cause patients to have an upset stomach and vomit blood that may be partially coagulated, which may take on a coffee ground appearance.