Internal bleeding Symptoms
Internal Bleeding Symptoms
Internal bleeding occurs when blood leaks from blood vessels and collects inside the body instead of bleeding through an open wound. The symptoms of internal bleeding can vary from case to case. According to the website verywellhealth, internal bleeding can be sudden and rapid with severe pain, shock, and loss of consciousness, or it can be slow and silent with few symptoms until total blood loss becomes severe. Although the symptoms do not always reflect the amount of bleeding and its severity.
The causes of internal bleeding are as varied and numerous as the signs and symptoms. Some are caused by an external force, such as a blow to the body, and others occur inside the body due to a disease or structural weakness, including:
- Trauma: Trauma is one of the most common causes of internal bleeding. It can include different types of injuries:
- Penetrating trauma: This is when an object enters the body, such as a knife, broken glass, shrapnel, or a bullet.
- Blunt trauma: This can range from blows and punches, which may not cause obvious symptoms at first, to high-speed impacts, which often cause symptoms.
- Deceleration injuries: This typically occurs in car accidents. When a speeding vehicle suddenly stops, it can cause the vessels and organs to tear or shear apart.
- Fractures: Some fractures bleed more than others. Fractures of the long bones in the arm, leg, and pelvis can lead to the loss of a large amount of blood. Bone fragments can also tear blood vessels.
- Aneurysm: An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in the vessel wall. This can cause the vessel to rupture. Sometimes, an aneurysm ruptures with strenuous activity. Other times, it can occur without an obvious cause during rest or sleep.
- Bleeding disorders: Bleeding disorders such as hemophilia can put a person at an increased risk of bleeding, including internal bleeding. This occurs when blood does not clot properly, either due to a deficiency of blood cells called platelets or proteins called clotting factors.
Symptoms of internal bleeding do not always correspond to the severity of bleeding
For example, large amounts of blood may be lost after an injury to the abdomen or kidney before symptoms appear. On the other hand, even small amounts of bleeding in parts of the brain can cause major symptoms and even death.
In cases of trauma, the initial lack of signs or symptoms does not mean that the person is safe. Only later may symptoms develop and become severe.
Symptoms of internal bleeding include:
- Dizziness: With rapid or massive blood loss, dizziness and lightheadedness are common. In cases where blood loss is gradual, dizziness may only occur when the person stands up and blood pressure drops (called orthostatic hypotension).
- Pain: Pain is a common symptom of internal bleeding as blood irritates the tissues. In some parts of the body, such as the chest, pain may be limited to the area of bleeding. In other cases, such as the abdomen, pain may be felt in other parts of the body (known as referred pain). For example, bleeding near the diaphragm is often felt in the shoulder.
- Shortness of breath: Shortness of breath can be a symptom of internal bleeding in any part of the body. With blood loss, there are fewer red blood cells carrying oxygen to the tissues. Oxygen deficiency causes difficulty breathing.
- Numbness in the hands and feet: With blood loss, the body often "clamps down" on blood vessels in the extremities to redirect blood to vital organs. Loss of oxygen to the extremities can cause tingling in the hands or feet. Internal bleeding can also cause hyperventilation (rapid breathing) as the body tries to raise oxygen levels.
- Changes in vision: Changes in vision are common with internal bleeding. They can occur before "loss of consciousness" when blood loss is rapid or severe. Other changes may be caused by a brain bleed, where blurred vision and double vision are common.
- Nausea or vomiting: Nausea and vomiting may occur due to blood loss or as a response to pain. These symptoms are common when bleeding is in the digestive tract or brain.
- Profuse sweating: Profuse sweating without an obvious cause (called diaphoresis) can occur when blood loss is sudden or severe. Blood loss can cause a rapid change in body temperature, which in turn can cause sudden, profuse sweating. People often describe this as "breaking out in a cold sweat."
- Bruising: Bruising can sometimes indicate where bleeding is occurring. Bruising around the navel, for example, may indicate bleeding in the abdomen. Bruising on the flank, where the kidneys are located, can occur with bleeding in the abdomen or kidney. Extensive bruising can occur with fractures.
This article was based on information from the website verywellhealth.
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