The Cause of GAVE

The cause of GAVE remains incompletely described or just not known. There are many theories, but the most common is that GAVE is often associated with certain disease states. Up to 30% of patients with GAVE have liver cirrhosis. The other 70% of GAVE patients have a high incidence of various autoimmune disorders including scleroderma. Stomach symptoms in scleroderma are due to slow emptying of the food into the small intestine. The retention of food in the stomach leads to a sensation of nausea, vomiting, fullness, or bloating (also known as gastroparesis).

In some people with scleroderma, the stomach can also have telangiectasia (dilated blood vessels) lining the walls of the stomach. This is also known as "watermelon stomach" due to its appearance on endoscopy. Slow and intermittent or rapid bleeding from these dilated blood vessels can cause anemia (low red blood cell count). The person may or may not have stomach symptoms and may only feel VERY tired and fatigued.

Although it is a rare disorder, Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) causes up to 4% of non-variceal upper GI bleeding. Ultimately, treatment of the underlying medical co-morbidities may lead to resolution of GAVE.

Etiology (causes)	Unknown, but has associations
Associations	Autoimmune disorders (like Scleroderma) Chronic liver disease
Clinical Presentation	Fatigue, melena and/or acute bleeding
Endoscopy	Watermelon stomach
Complications	Anemia ± transfusion dependency

 

Next Page: GAVE Treatment Modalities

Although the cause of GAVE is unknown, there are many theories.  The most common is that GAVE is often associated with certain disease states. Up to 30% of patients with GAVE have liver cirrhosis. The other 70% of GAVE patients have a high incidence of various autoimmune disorders including scleroderma.