Mallory-Weiss Syndrome

Mallory-Weiss syndrome is a condition in which high intra-abdominal pressure causes laceration and bleeding of the mucosa, known as Mallory-Weiss tears, predominantly where the esophagus meets the stomach, though the tears can occur anywhere from the middle of the esophagus to the cardia of the stomach. It is one of the most common causes of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding, accounting for around one to fifteen percent of cases in adults and less than five percent in children, and the tears are up to two to four times more prevalent in men than women. It is often caused by constant vomiting and retching from alcoholism or bulimia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease is another linked risk factor, though not every affected individual has these risk factors.