Mesenteric ischemia

Mesenteric ischemia is a medical condition. It happens when not enough blood gets to the small intestine. This causes inflammation (swelling) and can harm the small intestine.

Mesenteric ischemia happens mostly to the elderly (older people).

Mesenteric ischemia can happen when:

• A person's blood pressure is too low to get blood to the small intestine
• A blood clot is blocking the flow of blood to the small intestine
• The small intestine is not getting enough blood because the body's blood vessels have gotten smaller (this is called vasoconstriction)

Symptoms

Symptoms of mesenteric ischemia include:

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Constipation

Related pages

• Ischemic colitis