digestive disorders
Esophageal Varices
Causes of Esophageal Varices
Esophageal varices are caused by Portal Hypertension None The portal vein is the large vein that brings blood to the liver from the intestines and other abdominal organs such as the spleen, pancreas, and gallbladder. High blood pressure in the portal vein is called portal hypertension. The most common cause of portal hypertension in high-resource countries is liver scarring due to Cirrhosis of the Liver . Portal hypertension leads to the development of new veins called collateral vessels that bypass the liver. Collateral vessels directly connect the portal blood vessels to veins that take blood away from the liver into the general circulation. Collateral vessels develop at specific places. The most dangerous places are at the lower end of the esophagus and at the upper part of the stomach. Development at these locations is dangerous because the vessels enlarge and become full of twists and turns and are known as varices or varicose veins. These enlarged varices are fragile and can rupture, causing massive gastrointestinal bleeding. Usually, there is no obvious trigger for the rupture. 