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The condition
The condition
Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) tends to occur in older people. It causes bleeding from enlarged blood vessels in the lower area of the stomach. The blood loss is long term and may lead to anaemia and the need for regular blood transfusions. Rarely, GAVE can cause severe, short-term bleeding.
Treatment for GAVE includes destroying the enlarged blood vessels with heat energy (thermal ablation) or tying them off using a small band. If this is not successful the affected part of the stomach can be surgically removed, but this carries serious risks.
NICE has looked at using radiofrequency ablation as another treatment option.