13. Lightheadedness and weakness
Susceptible patients often experience a progressive decay in the event of GERD episodes, especially in the case of the elderly with a peptic ulcer. Sometimes, peptic ulcers would start bleeding slowly and steadily. It’s an open ulcer that will not heal, so it becomes long-term bleeding that progressively weakens patients after their sustained blood loss.
Lightheadedness and weakness are caused by peptic ulcer-related anemia. The gradual loss of blood reduces the total red blood cell count because there’s a higher rate of blood loss than new blood creation.
These cells contain hemoglobin, a particular protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the tissues. When it starts declining, the blood becomes diluted and fails to deliver oxygen to the organs. The brain is given priority in terms of blood flow. Still, if the condition becomes severe enough, it affects how much oxygen the brain receives, reducing our mental capacity.
Patients often report a sudden blackening of their vision when they change positions or stand up after lying down, which might be influenced by their anemia and reduced blood volume, resulting from internal bleeding.