Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Varices in Telugu: the bleeding signs every family should know | CION Cancer Clinics
Varices are swollen veins in the food pipe or stomach caused by a scarred liver. Vomiting blood (రక్తపు వాంతులు), black tarry stools (నల్లటి మలం) or sudden fainting mean go to hospital today, by ambulance if you can. This page gives each warning sign with its Telugu word, what the family can do before a bleed, and what to tell the casualty doctor. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team supports patients and families through symptoms, follow-up and life during and after treatment.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- What are varices, and what are the warning signs?
- What are the Telugu words for varices and bleeding?
- Which signs matter, and which are less urgent?
- What can the family do to lower the risk?
- What do families often believe about bleeding?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about varices and bleeding
The short answer
What are varices, and what are the warning signs?
Varices are swollen veins in the food pipe or stomach that form when a scarred liver blocks the normal flow of blood. The warning signs are vomiting blood, passing black tarry stools, and sudden dizziness or fainting. Any one of these means go to hospital today, by ambulance if you can.
Why this page carries Telugu words
At home, a mother or grandfather may say రక్తపు వాంతులు or నల్లటి మలం rather than the English words. In the casualty ward, the doctor will say variceal bleed or melaena. This page is written in English for the son or daughter who reads it, with the key Telugu words beside the English, so the whole family can describe what happened in terms the doctor recognises straight away. A full Telugu edition is being prepared separately.
Who this page is for
It is for families of someone with cirrhosis, liver cancer, or cancer that has spread to the liver and raised the pressure in its veins. Most people with these conditions never bleed. But a bleed is the most dangerous emergency in liver disease, so every adult in the house should know the signs. For the full picture, read varices explained.
Knowing the signs does not mean a bleed is coming. It means nobody will lose time if one does.Words in Telugu
What are the Telugu words for varices and bleeding?
- అన్నవాహికలో ఉబ్బిన సిరలు
- Swollen veins in the food pipe. Doctors call them oesophageal varices. Swollen veins in the stomach are gastric varices.
- రక్తపు వాంతులు (rakthapu vaanthulu)
- Vomiting blood. It can be bright red, dark red, or look like coffee grounds. Always an emergency in liver disease.
- నల్లటి మలం (nallati malam)
- Black, sticky, tar-like stool with a strong smell. Doctors call it melaena. It usually means blood from higher up in the gut.
- కళ్లు తిరగడం (kallu thiragadam)
- Dizziness or feeling faint, especially on standing. After a bleed it can mean a large amount of blood has been lost.
- కాలేయ గట్టిపడటం
- Hardening of the liver, the family phrase for cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is the usual reason varices form.
- ఎండోస్కోపీ / బ్యాండింగ్
- Endoscopy is a thin camera passed through the mouth to look at the veins. Banding ties off swollen veins with small rubber rings.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologist
!
Go to hospital today. Call an ambulance if you can.
Vomiting blood (రక్తపు వాంతులు), passing black tarry stools (నల్లటి మలం), or fainting and dizziness in someone with liver disease is an emergency. Do not wait for the morning, do not wait to see if it happens again, and do not drive the patient yourself if an ambulance can reach you. Keep them lying on their side so they do not choke. Give nothing to eat or drink. Take the list of their medicines and their latest reports, and tell the casualty doctor they have liver disease. Read vomiting blood is an emergency.
What to watch for
Which signs matter, and which are less urgent?
Some signs mean today. Others mean a call to the doctor this week. Families often confuse the two.
Go to hospital today
These are the signs of an active bleed. The amount does not matter. A small amount of blood can be the start of a large bleed.
- Vomiting blood, or vomit like coffee grounds
- Black, tarry, sticky stools
- Fainting, sudden weakness, cold sweaty skin
- New confusion or drowsiness after any of these
Call the doctor this week
These do not mean a bleed is happening, but the team should know.
- Easy bruising or bleeding gums
- A belly that is swelling with fluid
- A missed endoscopy or banding appointment
- Side effects from a beta-blocker tablet, such as dizziness
Things that can look like a bleed
Iron tablets and some medicines turn stool dark grey or green-black, but it is usually not sticky. Beetroot or red drinks can colour vomit. If you are not sure, treat it as a bleed and let the hospital decide.
Never guess at home. A hospital can tell the difference quickly.Before any bleed
What can the family do to lower the risk?
Keep the endoscopy appointment
Many people with cirrhosis are advised a screening endoscopy to see whether varices are present and how large they are. CION arranges this through partner gastroenterology teams. See who needs an endoscopy.
Take the tablets the hepatologist prescribes
A beta-blocker tablet lowers the pressure in the veins. Do not stop it on your own, even if the pulse feels slow. Ask the doctor first.
Go back for banding if it was started
Banding usually needs repeat visits until the veins close. A missed visit leaves the job half done.
Avoid painkillers that raise bleeding risk
Aspirin and common over-the-counter painkillers raise bleeding risk in liver disease. Ask before taking any new tablet, including one from a medical shop.
Write an emergency plan
Keep the nearest emergency hospital, the medicine list and the diagnosis on one sheet by the door.
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Commonly believed
What do families often believe about bleeding?
"It was only a little blood, so we can wait and see."
Variceal bleeds often start small and then become heavy without warning. Even a small amount of blood in vomit, in someone with liver disease, means hospital today.
"Black stools are from the food or the heat."
Black, sticky, tar-like stool is usually digested blood. Food rarely causes that sticky texture. Do not explain it away at home.
"Bleeding means he must have been drinking again."
Varices bleed because of high pressure in the veins, whatever caused the cirrhosis. Hepatitis B, fatty liver and cancer can all lead to it. Blame delays help. Get the person to hospital first.
"Once the veins are banded, the problem is gone."
Banding closes the veins that are there, but new ones can form while the liver stays scarred. Follow-up endoscopies are part of the plan.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your relative has varices, how large they are, or how likely they are to bleed. Only an endoscopy, read by a gastroenterologist or hepatologist, answers that. It also cannot tell you whether a particular stool or vomit was blood. If in doubt, the hospital decides, not the family.
Who this does not apply to
Someone with a small liver tumour and a healthy liver may have no raised vein pressure at all, and may never need an endoscopy for varices. Someone with dark stool from iron tablets and no liver disease is in a different situation. Your doctor will say which group you are in.
How CION fits in
CION oncologists plan cancer treatment with the bleeding risk in mind. Some cancer medicines, such as bevacizumab, need the varices checked and treated first. Endoscopy, banding and emergency bleeding care are coordinated through partner hospitals and hepatology teams. Read bevacizumab and bleeding risk.
In an emergency, go to the nearest hospital with an emergency department. Do not travel to a planned clinic first.Questions we are asked
Common questions about varices and bleeding
What is the Telugu word for varices?
There is no single everyday word. Doctors often say అన్నవాహికలో ఉబ్బిన సిరలు, meaning swollen veins in the food pipe. Families more often describe what they see: రక్తపు వాంతులు for vomiting blood and నల్లటి మలం for black stools. Using these words with the doctor is fine.
Should we call an ambulance or drive?
Call an ambulance if one can reach you without long delay. The crew can start care on the way and the patient can lie on their side. If no ambulance is available, go by the fastest safe transport to the nearest emergency department. Do not wait for a relative to come home first.
Can varices bleed without any warning?
Yes. Varices usually cause no pain or symptoms until they bleed. That is why people with cirrhosis are often offered an endoscopy to look for them before any bleed, and tablets or banding if they are large. Feeling well does not mean the veins are safe.
Is a bleed from varices the same as a liver tumour bleeding?
No. Varices bleed into the gut, so the blood appears in vomit or stool. A liver tumour can occasionally bleed inside the belly, causing sudden severe belly pain and fainting. Both need hospital today. Read about a liver tumour that bleeds.
What will happen at the hospital?
The team will replace lost fluid and blood, give medicines that lower the pressure in the veins, start antibiotics and arrange an urgent endoscopy to band or treat the bleeding vein. The patient is usually admitted and watched closely for a few days.
Can cancer treatment continue after a bleed?
Often yes, once the bleeding is controlled and the liver has recovered enough. The oncologist and hepatologist decide together. Some medicines may be paused or changed. Tell the cancer team about any bleed, even if it happened in another hospital.
Does eating spicy or hard food cause a bleed?
Food is not usually the cause. Bleeding comes from pressure inside the veins. Families sometimes cut food sharply out of fear, which can leave the patient weak. Ask the doctor or a dietitian what to eat rather than guessing.
Who should we call if we are not sure?
If you see blood or black stools, do not call first. Go to the hospital. For questions about endoscopy, tablets or how bleeding risk affects cancer treatment, call the CION helpline and a team member will guide you in Telugu or English.
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MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
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Sources
- MedlinePlus — Bleeding esophageal varices
- Cleveland Clinic — Esophageal Varices: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
- Merck Manual Consumer Version — Portal Hypertension
- NHS — Cirrhosis
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Talk to us
Not sure whether your relative needs an endoscopy?
Tell us the diagnosis and what the latest reports say, in Telugu or English. A CION team member will explain how bleeding risk fits into the cancer plan. One helpline serves every CION centre.