Gastrointestinal hemorrhage and the skin

Cutaneous manifestations are often associated with disorders in which gastrointestinal hemorrhage is a major feature. These manifestations include vascular abnormalities, connective tissue disorders, gastrointestinal polyposis, vasculitis and its variants, Kaposi's sarcoma, and inflammatory bowel disease. Because such skin lesions often develop prior to gastrointestinal hemorrhage, they may prove helpful in making a definitive diagnosis before gastrointestinal blood loss becomes a major clinical problem.