03-03-2006, 09:43 AM
A 69 y/o woman is brought to the emergency room because of a complaint of feeling increasingly dizzy over the last 24hrs. She reports that she has noted dark stools for the last 3 days which earlier today became black and increasingly foul smelling. She has a history of hypertension for which she has been treted with a diuretic, and a history of naproxen sodium. Her family history is significant for two brothers who died of myocardial infarction and her father who died of colon cancer. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's bleeding?
A. Increased gastric acid secretion
B. Impaired prostaglandin synthesis
C. Neoplastic change of the gastric mucosa
D. Increased portal pressure
E. Acute Helicobacter infection
A. Increased gastric acid secretion
B. Impaired prostaglandin synthesis
C. Neoplastic change of the gastric mucosa
D. Increased portal pressure
E. Acute Helicobacter infection