An Unusual Cause of Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Gastric Fundic Gland Polyps

Abstract

The most usual causes of iron deficiency anemia are related to the digestive disease: acute or chronic blood loss (due to cancer or polyp of colon or stomach, peptic ulcer, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use, inflammatory bowel disease, vascular lesions) or reduced iron absorption (in celiac disease, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, Whipple’s disease, lymphangiectasia, gastrectomy and gastric atrophy, gut resection or bypass). Fundic gland polyps are not common causes of gastrointestinal bleeding, but in this case we were able to proof that the bleeding was the result of these unusual large polyps. What is reported here is a case of occult gastrointestinal bleeding caused by torsion of sessile polyps in the patient who received chronic low-dose acetylsalicylic acid therapy. The patient was successfully treated with endoscopic resection of largest polyps. This report could be useful in cases of sporadic fundic gland polyps and unrecognized cause of bleeding or iron deficiency anemia; especially in instances in which anticoagulant or low-dose aspirin therapies were applied.