title: Causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in neonates and children.
abstract: The causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in children were detailed in 1964 by Spencer. We investigated the causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in 165 children seen at our institution over a 13-year period. The most common causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the hospitalized patients were necrotizing enterocolitis (44%), anal fissures (23%), and guaiac-positive stools of unknown cause (16%). The mortality rate was 5.4%. Necrotizing enterocolitis was the most common cause of death. Only 16 patients required surgery. Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is an infrequent cause of mortality and morbidity in hospitalized pediatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Medical Center at Shreveport, USA.
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: vander Griten
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005401:Fissure in Ano / Q000150:complications; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies