Blood in stools can be noticed while wiping after clearing bowels or in the toilet bowl. It means that there is a source of bleeding somewhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes the amount of bleeding is so small that it is occult and is realized only after a stool test is done for screening for colon cancer – the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or the fecal immunochemical test (FIT).
Bleeding that happens higher up in the digestive tract will result in black and tarry stools called malena or melena.
Blood in stool needs investigation to rule out serious problem and hence requires medical attention. However it may not always mean something serious and the most common causes are quite benign.
Causes of Blood in Stool:
- Piles or hemorrhoids
- Anal fissure
- Diverticular disease or colonic diverticulosis
- Colitis
- Angiodysplasia colon
- Peptic ulcer
- Gastric ulcer
- Duodenal ulcer
- Polyps
- Bowel cancer
- Varicose veins of esophagus
- Rarely Meckel’s diverticulum
How to diagnose the cause:
After consulting us, we will arrange for confirming the diagnosis by some tests, which may include:
- Blood tests
- Endoscopy
- Gastroscopy
- Colonoscopy
- CT Scan
Treatment:
- If the patient has large amount of bleeding, then it is a medical emergency and the patient will require admission and sometimes even blood transfusion and immediate treatment to stop the bleeding urgently
- Treatment varies depending on the cause of bleeding and the source of bleeding:
- Piles and anal fissure can most often be treated with medicines and dietary & lifestyle modifications
- Ulcers will require medications and dietary & lifestyle modifications. If gastric ulcer, then it may require surveillance scope to ascertain that it has indeed healed. Or else there is a risk of missing cancer
- Hence different causes will require different management. We will guide and treat the patient appropriately.
