Every year, more than 300,000 patients are hospitalized with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding1 and countless more are managed in emergency departments. More than 150 out of every 100,000 people experience some sort of GI bleeding annually. Nearly 70% of GI bleeds occur in the upper GI tract and more than 50% of all GI bleeds are caused by peptic ulcer disease. Presently, the mortality from GI bleeding is around 10%, and this rises with age as patients begin to have multiple contributing underlying conditions like hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease. For individuals younger than age 50, however, the most common cause of GI bleeding is hemorrhoids, which, while uncomfortable, is more of a nuisance than anything else.2
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