Serious Symptoms Of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome

Digestive Tract Bleeding

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome causes the stomach to produce too much gastric acid, making the stomach contents more acidic than they should be. When the stomach contents are more acidic than usual, the internal mucosal lining of the organ can experience erosion and tissue damage as a result. Tissue damage and breaches in the protective mucous layer of both the stomach and intestines can cause the development of gastric and intestinal ulcers. This tissue damage in the stomach and intestines causes the tiny blood vessels that provide the area with blood to become damaged or ruptured. When the tiny blood vessels in the tissues of the stomach and intestines leak blood into the contents, it can show up in vomit or stool. Bleeding in the stomach and the first section of the small intestine has more time to clot up before it is excreted and takes on an appearance similar to tar or coffee grounds in the stool. Bleeding in the last segment of the small intestine and the large intestine does not have as much time to clot up before it is excreted, so it can appear as bright red or maroon blood that can be mixed with mucus in the stool.