Descifrando el código vascular: angiectasias y sangrado de vías digestivas bajas a propósito de un caso

Introduction: Gastrointestinal angiectasias are vascular malformations that can cause recurrent bleeding, especially in older adults. Objective: To describe the case of a patient with severe anemia secondary to colonic angiectasia and its successful treatment. Methods: A 78-year-old male patient, attended at a tertiary level hospital, presented severe anemia (hemoglobin: 7.1 g/dL). Endoscopic studies were performed: an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which was normal except for a mild antral gastropathy, and a colonoscopy, in which an angiectasia of approximately 4 mm was detected. Results: The vascular lesion identified at colonoscopy was treated by endoscopic argon plasma ablation, achieving complete resolution of the gastrointestinal bleeding. Conclusion: Angiectasis should be considered in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding in older adults; therapeutic endoscopy is effective for its management.