Reasons for blood in stool

Blood in Stool - Serious Warning

Blood in the stool is not normal occurence and appearance of this sign must be taken seriously. It is always a symptom of some disease development from the benign one to the heaviest one.

Causes

This disorder usually occurs in early youth and in children as a result of hard stool and damaged intestinal mucosa during bowel movement. Most commonly it is the consequence of inadequate nutrition at this age (too many carbohydrates - sugar and flour, and small amounts of fruit and vegetables).

In adolescents, this problem may be result of mental disorders caused by problems in the family or school which is manifested by constipation and hard stool.

A range of conditions and diseases can cause the appearance of blood in stool in adults.

At first, the possible cause of blood in stool is bleeding from the upper parts of the digestive system. This is manifested in dark brown or black (like black coffee residue) abundant mushy stool. It usually occurs because of bleeding from stomach or duodenal ulcer. Sometimes it can be very heavy, leading to severe bleeding and even death.

Light red blood in the stool is usually the result of disturbances in the final part of the digestive system. It is often acute or chronic constipation, which causes temporary or permanent disruption of normal bowel movement, and hard stool that causes damage to the mucosa.

Other common causes of blood in stool are good-natured (benign) diseases of the final part of the colon. The most common are hemorrhoidal diseases, anal fissures, fistulas and rarely benign tumors of the final part of the colon.

Finally, malignant tumors are often manifested by blood in stool which is the only sign, without pain or other symptoms.

Very rarely, cause of blood in stool may be injuries of the final part of the colon caused by accident or as a consequence of sexual activity.

What Should you Do in the Case of Blood in Stool?

Blood in stool isn’t normal phenomenon and requires immediate contacting a doctor for the implementation of diagnostics and treatment measures.

The appearance of above mentioned large amounts of old blood (stool black as coffee) requires immediate reporting to a doctor because it can be massive and life treatening. In other cases, the situation is not so urgent, so visiting a doctor may be delayed for several hours or even days, depending on whether the bleeding is sparingly, medium or heavy.