Emerging rare causes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding

Abstract

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is defined as bleeding from a source located at any point in the lumen of the small bowel from ligament of Treitz and the large bowel down to the anal opening. The ligament of Treitz has been considered to be the fibrous band of tissues that plastered the duodenojejunal junction to the posterior peritoneum. It is often referred as the reference point of LGIB. As it is a well-known fact, LGIB has been a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.[1] There are numerous causes which are often classified as common causes because they occur quite common in virtually every community and rare causes which rarely occur or cause a threat to life. However, in the recent times, these so-called rare causes are becoming significant causes, particularly in the presence of certain conditions[2] couple with new causes that were not known before. These, together constitute an emerging rare cause of LGIB which this editorial intends to highlight.