13) Vomiting blood
This is definitely an alarming sign for everybody, and if you have the symptoms we have described in this article along with bloody vomiting, it is highly suggestive of stomach ulcers. These ulcers develop as a response to sustained damage of the stomach lining by its own acid, and there are certain risk factors associated with them. The most important is an infection with Helicobacter pylori, a famous bacterium that invades your stomach and starts creating damage to the stomach wall.
If this is your case, you might not die right away, but it is still an emergency and needs to be solved right away. Complications of a stomach ulcer include stomach perforation, which is a lethal outcome we can all prevent by going to the doctor and following his recommendations.
It is impressive to see how a component in our own physiology can become a source of severe injury. Gastritis and acid reflux are common problems, and they are often neglected and not correctly solved. Most of these symptoms are shared by acid reflux in its early stages, but patients do not pay much attention, and the problem goes chronic with devastating consequences. Thus, if you have checked the majority of these signs and symptoms talk about it with your general practitioner and do not be afraid of diagnostic tests.
References
DeVault, K. R., & Castell, D. O. (2005). Updated guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The American journal of gastroenterology, 100(1), 190.
Chen, C. L., Robert, J. J., & Orr, W. C. (2008). Sleep symptoms and gastroesophageal reflux. Journal of clinical gastroenterology, 42(1), 13-17.
Buttar, N. S., & Falk, G. W. (2001, February). Pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux and Barrett esophagus. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 226-234). Elsevier.
Vakil, N., Van Zanten, S. V., Kahrilas, P., Dent, J., & Jones, R. (2006). The Montreal definition and classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a global evidence-based consensus. The American journal of gastroenterology, 101(8), 1900.
Sonnenberg, A., Steinkamp, U., Weise, A., Berges, W., Wienbeck, M., Rohner, H. G., & Peter, P. (1982). Salivary secretion in reflux esophagitis. Gastroenterology, 83(4), 889-895.
