Blood in the stool – causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment [EXPLAINED]

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Blood in the stool is a disturbing symptom, but it does not always have to be a sign of a serious disease. When blood appears in the stool, see a doctor as soon as possible and perform the necessary diagnostics. Why is there blood in the stool? What diseases can manifest as blood in the stool? How is rectal bleeding treated?

Blood in the stool – characteristics

The blood that is present in the stool is called rectal bleeding. Blood in the stool should be properly assessed as there is a difference between having blood only on the toilet paper and blood clots that are mixed in with the stools. Careful observation will allow you to determine at the very beginning whether the bleeding is caused by a mechanical injury to the anus or, for example, the bleeding occurred earlier in the intestine.

Blood in the stool is not always a symptom of a serious diseasebut this symptom can never be ignored. If you see blood in your stools, you’ll need to do basic laboratory tests and make an appointment with your primary care physician. After reviewing the test results and the diagnostic interview, the primary care physician will write a referral to a specific specialist.

Blood in the stool in medicine is called hematochezia. The color of the blood in the stools can range from light red to dark red. It is also worth remembering that the tarry stool and its very dark color, which causes anxiety in patients, is the result of the action of bacteria and chemical reactions taking place in the gastrointestinal tract. The longer these reactions take place, the darker the blood in the stools.

It should be noted, however, that the vast majority of blood in the stool is caused by bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract, especially from the large intestine. Rectal bleeding problems should usually be consulted with a proctologist.

Do you want to know more about proctology? Check: Proctology – just no shame, please

Fresh blood in the stool

Identifying the type of blood in your stool makes it very easy to diagnose a medical condition. Fresh blood, seen in stool or on toilet paper, is usually a bright red color. Such fresh and red blood in the stool is usually a symptom of damage to haemorrhoids.

The symptom of fresh blood in the stool is accompanied by ailments such as constipation, burning or itching around the anus. With fresh blood, bleeding is usually not profuse, although massive bleeding can also occur.

Fresh blood in the stool also appears when an anal fissure is ruptured, which is a common ailment in women after a recent birth. Fresh blood in the stool may also appear in the case of strong viral and bacterial infections and in cases of intestinal diseases. Bowel diseases that show up with fresh and red blood in the stool are Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis.

If you want to know more about anal diseases, check out: Embarrassing diseases of the anus

Dark blood in the stool

Blood in the stool can also be very dark in color. If you have dark red blood in your stools and your stools are tarry, the source of the bleeding is probably in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The dark color of blood is caused by the action of bacteria and chemical reactions, i.e. the partial digestion of the blood. The blood goes to the stomach and, under the influence of stomach acid, takes this form.

Importantly, tarry stool is not the only unpleasant symptom of bleeding from the upper parts of the digestive system. This ailment is usually accompanied by vomiting with an admixture of a substance that resembles coffee grounds. This substance is nothing but cut blood.

Dark blood in the stool is a sign of diseases such as gastric or duodenal ulcers, gastritis, esophageal varices or Mallory-Weiss syndrome.

How can I evaluate changes in my stool? Read: What does an altered stool report? The color, texture and shape of the stool

Occult blood in the stool

Blood in the stool is not always visible to the naked eye. There are frequent cases of the so-called latent blood in the stool. Fecal occult blood is often accompanied by other severe symptoms such as abdominal pain, anemia, diarrhea, as well as visible weight loss.

Confirmation of blood in the stool requires performance fecal occult blood tests. You can find them on Medonet Market. The waiting time for the results of the mail-order diagnostics of digestive system diseases is 7 working days.

Occult blood in the stool can be a symptom of colon polyps. Polyps are benign lesions, but if not treated properly, there is a high risk of cancer, i.e. colorectal cancer. It is latent bleeding that is the most common symptom of colon cancer. Testing for occult blood is called screening and should be done at least once a year after the age of 40.

If you want to know more about screening, check out: Screening tests – when and for whom?

Blood in the stool – causes

The above-described types of blood in the stool indicated the causes of this ailment. By synthesizing the above information to causes of rectal bleeding can include:

1. colorectal cancer;
2. hemorrhoids – ruptured nodules;
3. intestinal diverticula;
4. bleeding polyps;
5. anal fissure;
6. intestinal angiodysplasia;
7. inflammatory bowel disease;
8. ischemic colitis;
9. coagulopathy;
10. stomach or duodenal ulcers;
11. bleeding from esophageal varices;
12. viral and bacterial infections.

If you want to find out why you should test your feces, check out: Why is it worth examining feces?

Are you seeing disturbing symptoms? Analyze them yourself in the medical questionnaire and decide whether to go to the doctor.

Blood in the stool – hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are hemorrhoids that belong to the physiological structure of the anus. These lumps are three cushion-shaped veins that are moderately filled with blood. The function of the nodules is to seal the anus, so you can control defecation and gas.

A disorder of this structure is excessive filling of the nodules, i.e. their hyperemia. When the nodules grow significantly, they are called hemorrhoids. Depending on which venous plexus is overflowing with blood, there are internal and external hemorrhoids.

Why exactly do anal lumps fill up with more blood? Well, it is the effect of an increase in pressure or stagnation in the venous plexuses present in the anus. The increase or stagnation of pressure can be caused by constipation, diarrhea, pregnancy, as well as a sedentary lifestyle. Hemorrhoids are also a condition that often accompanies cirrhosis of the liver or small pelvic tumors.

The dominant symptom of haemorrhoids is the presence of blood in the stool. The blood in the stool for hemorrhoids is fresh and accompanies a bowel movement. The bleeding may be heavy or sparse, and blood may be visible in the toilet bowl or on toilet paper. Bleeding near hemorrhoids rarely causes anemia, but if there is very intense bleeding, the patient may face anemia.

Blood in the stool is not the only symptom of hemorrhoids, so it is also worthwhile to observe other symptoms that indicate the disease. With hemorrhoids, the patient often feels incomplete. Additionally, there is itching, burning and pain in the anus area. Mucus leakage from the anus can also be observed.

What drug can help with hemorrhoids? Check: Aesculan, or rectal ointment – composition, action, indications and dosage

Blood, feces – anal fissure

Blood in the stool is also a symptom of an anal fissure. An anal fissure is a rupture, i.e. a painful wound to the mucosa. The formation of anal fissures has not yet been sufficiently studied and understood, but it is recognized that the tension of the internal sphincter is of great importance. Strong pain that occurs at the anal fissure additionally intensifies the contraction of the sphincters, which increases the ailments and prevents the wound from healing.

An anal fissure can be recognized not only by blood in the stoolbut especially after a strong and burning pain in the anus, especially during bowel movements. An anal fissure can be mild, acute, and chronic. When a patient is struggling with a chronic fissure, it is very common to develop a fold at the edge of the anus.

The treatment of an anal fissure is primarily a change in the daily diet and the use of anti-inflammatory agents. Their task is to soften the stool and reduce the tension in the anus.

If you want to know more about anal fissure read on: Anal fissure

Blood in the stool – inflammation and Crohn’s disease

Inflammation is a common cause of rectal bleeding. An example of inflammatory bowel disease is Crohn’s disease. It is worth noting that this disease does not only affect the intestines, its focus can be located in any part of the digestive tract – from the mouth to the anus. Most often, however, inflammation develops in the terminal ileum. Often, Crohn’s disease also affects the small intestine and large intestine. The disease is much less frequently diagnosed in the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

So far, it is difficult to pinpoint a clear cause of Crohn’s disease. Among the factors of the disease occurrence, specialists mention genetic susceptibility, intestinal microflora and the immune response of the patient’s mucosa.

Note that blood in the stool is not the main symptom of Crohn’s disease, and certainly not the only one. Patients diagnosed with this disease also have weakness, fever and a significant loss of kilograms. The symptoms of this disease largely depend on the location of the lesions and the degree of their advancement.

What should you know about Crohn’s disease? Read: Crohn’s disease

Blood in the stool – colonic diverticula

Blood in the stool may be the result of bleeding from the diverticula of the colon. Colon diverticula are thin-walled sacs that occur outside the colon. Diverticula most often occur in mature people whose diet for many years was unhealthy and low in dietary fiber.

Foods low in dietary fiber do not fill the intestines properly, which increases the pressure in them, which at the same time causes thickening of the intestinal wall. Due to the fact that the most common cause of colonic diverticula is a poor diet, this ailment is classified as a civilization disease.

Blood in the stool for bleeding from diverticula of the colon manifested not only by the presence of blood, but also often by blood clots or blood itself. Blood in the stool is not a specific symptom of colonic diverticula, but rather a complication of this condition. Symptoms that may indicate the presence of colonic diverticula include abdominal pain, gas, and bowel rhythm disturbances.

How to recognize the symptoms of gastrointestinal diverticula? Check: Digestive tract diverticula

Blood in the stool – angiodysplasia of the large intestine

Angiodysplasia of the large intestine is another condition with blood in the stool as one of the symptoms. This condition is the presence of dilated, tortuous blood vessels in the large intestine. Angiodysplasia usually affects adults and the elderly as it develops with age, which is associated with a strain on the intestinal wall.

In the course of this disease, blood flow through the aortic valve breaks down one of the blood factors involved in the clotting process. This results in gastrointestinal bleeding and blood in the stools can be seen.

Bleeding in the digestive tract is caused by rupture of blood vessels. Blood vessels burst because the disease causes the intestine to shrink in diameter and leads to the growth of connective tissue.

Angiodysplasia of the large intestine is a condition that may go undiagnosed for a long time. In many cases, it does not manifest itself with any symptoms for a long time. Blood in the stool is one of the first symptoms of angiodysplasiaTherefore, it is worth observing the stool, especially when other ailments are also bothering you. Symptoms that accompany blood in the stool with angiodysplasia of the large intestine are primarily pain in the lower abdomen, anemia, tarry stools and frequent problems with defecation.

It is worth noting that with this disease, the blood in the stool appears in a very small amount and often intermittently. For this reason, patients do not notice the blood at all and ignore any other ailments. The pains in the lower abdomen, however, can be very persistent and recur. Therefore, it is very important to monitor your health and combine different symptoms with a common cause.

What are the causes and symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding? Check: Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract

Blood in the stool – bacterial infection

The cause of blood in the stool may be a bacterial infection. With a bacterial infection, the blood is fresh and the stool is watery. This symptom can be compared to diarrhea as you may use the toilet several times a day. In addition, in the case of infection, nausea, abdominal pain and poor well-being appear.

If the diarrhea is self-limiting, a visit to the doctor is not necessary. If the diarrhea with blood persists after a few days, it is necessary to make an appointment with a specialist. In such a situation, it is necessary to identify the pathogen responsible for the symptoms. Blood diarrhea can be caused by staphylococcus, colitis, typhoid fever, and salmonella.

What are the most common bacterial diseases? Check: The most common bacterial diseases – overview and characteristics

Blood in the stool – gastric and duodenal ulcer disease

Blood in the stool may occur as a complication of gastric and duodenal ulcers. Bleeding can also be caused by perforation and narrowing of the pylorus. The vast majority of gastrointestinal bleeding are bleeding from the upper section of the gastrointestinal tract. Half of them concern bleeding from gastric or duodenal ulcers.

Peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum is a very serious condition and, if left untreated, can lead to very serious consequences. Many patients may not experience any peptic ulcer symptoms. However, if there are any symptoms, the most common among them is burning epigastric pain, which is observed when the patient is fasting or 1-3 hours after a meal.

Bleeding from gastric or duodenal ulcers may be seen as tarry stools or vomiting the consistency of coffee grounds. If the patient is losing a lot of blood, there is tarry diarrhea which also shows fresh blood.

With bleeding from gastric and duodenal ulcers, blood loss is very rapid and large. This lowers your blood pressure and makes your heart beat faster. If prompt diagnosis and treatment is not made, the patient is at risk of hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic shock initially manifests as disturbed consciousness or loss of consciousness, but it must be remembered that it is a state of immediate life-threatening.

Everything you need to know about gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer can be found here: Stomach and duodenal ulcers – symptoms, diet, treatment

Blood in the stool – ulcerative colitis

Blood in the stool also appears in ulcerative colitis, a non-specific inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease with long remissions interrupted by severe relapses of symptoms.

The main symptom of ulcerative colitis is diarrhea, which is associated with blood. Additional symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, weight loss and severe weakness.

Ulcerative colitis is mild in most cases. It is estimated that in 20% of patients the disease is acute and manifests as bloody diarrhea up to six times a day. This course of the disease is associated with a reduction in blood pressure, an increase in heart rate and a very low concentration of albumin in the blood.

What is worth knowing about intestinal diseases? Check: Everything you need to know about bowel disease

Blood in the stool – colon cancer

When blood appears in the stool, patients often predict a worst-case scenario. Indeed, blood in your stools may be a symptom of a cancer developing in the large intestine. Colorectal cancer is caused by the growth of cells in one part of the intestine, i.e. the caecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descendant colon, or rectum. Colon cancer is much more common in men, and the disease itself usually occurs after the age of 40.

An early symptom of colon cancer is blood in your stools. Additionally, there is spontaneous rectal bleeding. In addition to bleeding, patients alternate between constipation and diarrhea. Very often these symptoms are accompanied by severe abdominal pain and cramps. Due to frequent bleeding, patients are also diagnosed with anemia.

In the absence of early diagnosis and disease progression, patients experience typical symptoms associated with advanced cancer. Usually it is weakness, lack of appetite and very quick weight loss.

Find out more about colorectal cancer here: Colon cancer

Blood in the stool during pregnancy

During pregnancy, a woman observes numerous changes in her body. During this time, women may also notice blood in their stools. This is not a disturbing symptom, but it certainly cannot be completely ignored. During pregnancy, blood in the stool can show up for several reasons. Therefore, you should report this ailment to your doctor and find the source of the problem. The causes of blood in the stool during pregnancy are hemorrhoids, an anus fissure or a bacterial infection.

Blood in the stool in a child

Blood in your stool is not a condition that only affects adults. It is not uncommon for parents to notice blood in their baby’s stool. This is not a cause for concern, but consultation with your doctor is welcome.

If a baby has blood in the stool, there is a very high probability that it comes from mum’s injured nipple. Blood can also be a symptom of a small tear in the rectal mucosa, especially when your little one has a problem with defecation. Blood in the stool is also a symptom of a gastrointestinal infection.

In addition, the causes of blood in the stool of a child include blood coagulation disorders, allergic colitis or intestinal polyps.

What should a newborn’s stool look like? Read: Newborn poop – what it should look like and when we have cause for concern

Blood in the stool – diagnosis

The presence of blood in the stool usually requires proper diagnosis. However, before a series of tests are performed, you should visit your doctor for a consultation. The following tests may be ordered by the doctor after the first visit:

1. per rectum examination – that is, direct finger evaluation through the anus. The examination may be supplemented with the use of a short speculum, or rectoscope;
2. gastroscopy – an examination in which the endoscope is inserted into the gastrointestinal tract through the mouth, esophagus, stomach, up to the duodenum. During the examination, the doctor can take a close look at the digestive tract and find the source of the bleeding. During gastroscopy, a piece of tissue can also be removed for further examination;
3. colonoscopy – this is another endoscopic examination in which the endoscope is inserted into the digestive system through the anus; 
4. gastric lavage – the test uses a nasogastric tube to determine which part of the gastro-intestinal tract is bleeding;
5. enteroscopy – is a gastroscopy-like test. In this case, the patient swallows a small capsule containing a camera. The capsule and the camera move through the digestive tract, recording fragment by fragment and documenting its current state;
6. X-ray with contrast – it is an X-ray of the digestive tract along with the administration of a contrast agent

More information about the endoscopic method can be found here: Endoscopy – types and course

Blood in the stool – treatment

The course of treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding depends on the source of this bleeding. If the patient is struggling with haemorrhoids, treatment is based on the use of pharmacological agents in the form of suppositories or creams based on lidocaine hydrochloride or diosmin. This disease can also be treated by performing photocoagulation, cryotherapy, sclerotherapy or rubbing the nodules.

Peptic ulcer disease can be treated with drugs from the group of proton pump inhibitors. Tumors or diverticula of the colon are usually treated surgically, especially when pharmacological treatment does not bring the expected results.

Diet always plays a very important role in the treatment of rectal bleeding. Patients are advised to drink plenty of fluids and to enrich the menu with dietary fiber products. A properly composed diet significantly affects the correct rhythm of the patient’s bowel movements.

If you want to check if your digestive system is working properly, take a prophylactic test package for digestive system diseases, which you can buy at Medonet Market.

How to compose a healthy diet? Check: Healthy diet

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