Blood in the stool, occult, bright red or with mucus

Blood in the stool can be red, reddish brown, dark and black (Tar chair) or occult, that means it cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The causes of blood in the stool range from harmless disorders in the gastrointestinal tract such as hemorrhoids to serious diseases such as colon cancer .

circulation types

There are two possible sources of bleeding: the upper digestive tract (stomach and small intestine) and the lower digestive tract (colon with colon, rectum and anus).
Bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal section usually leads to black stool (tarry stool).
If there is bleeding in the lower intestinal regions, the stool is covered or mixed with bright red blood.
Certain foods and medicines can cause blood in the stool.
However, it is not always possible to determine the origin and type of rectal bleeding based on the appearance of the stool.
Sometimes the amount of blood is so small that it is only visible on the toilet paper.
In most cases, medical clarification is necessary.

Digestive tract bleeding may be too slow to cause rectal bleeding.
Then there is an occult bleeding that cannot be seen with the naked eye; in this case the blood can only be determined by a laboratory analysis (test for hidden blood in the stool).
Occult blood has similar causes to rectal bleeding and can produce the same symptoms. It can occur together with anemia, which is caused by iron deficiency caused by blood loss.

Causes of blood in the stool

Blood in the stool can have the following causes:

diverticulitis. Intestinal diverticula are protrusions in the intestinal wall that are usually not problematic, but can bleed and become inflamed.

anal fissures. Small tears in the skin or mucous membrane of the anus, similar to the cracks that appear on cracked lips. Anal fissures are often caused by large and hard stools, which may cause excretion pain and traces of blood that show up when wiped.

Colitis or inflammation of the colon. Infection or inflammatory bowel disease are among the most common causes of the occasional appearance of blood in the stool.

angiodysplasia. In this disease, the abnormal and weak blood vessels cause bleeding.

Gastric and duodenal ulcer. Open wound in the inner wall of the stomach or duodenum (upper section of the small intestine).
Many ulcers are caused by infection with the Helicobacter pylori bacterium. Continued use of anti-inflammatories such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen can cause gastritis and gastric and duodenal ulcers.

Gastroenteritis or intestinal flu. Gastroenteritis is a viral or bacterial infection of the stomach and intestines that the immune system usually fights in a few days. It can cause diarrhea with traces of blood and mucus, as well as symptoms such as stomach cramps and vomiting.

Polyps or cancer. Polyps are benign new growths that grow, bleed, and can change like cancer.
They often cause bleeding that is not visible to the naked eye.
Stomach cancer can cause blood in the stool.

Problems with the esophagus. Varicose veins (esophageal varices) or tears in the esophagus can cause significant blood loss.

Traumas or foreign bodies

Vascular malformation (structural malformation of the blood vessels, called arteriovenous malformation). Among other things, this disease can cause liquid stool with blood.

Blood in the stool during pregnancy

Rectal bleeding during pregnancy is usually caused by hemorrhoids, which are blood vessels in the rectum that enlarge and become inflamed.
Hemorrhoids are quite common in pregnancy, especially in the past three months and in the weeks after birth.
Anxiety and stress promote constipation and thus inflammation of the hemorrhoids.
If tears develop in the veins due to hard bowel movements or vigorous cleaning with toilet paper, these swollen veins can bleed.
Anal fissures are another cause of rectal bleeding, for example when people have to press hard due to constipation during bowel movements, which is common in pregnancy.

Blood in the child’s stool

Alila – bigstockphoto. com

anal fissures – Anal fissures can occur at any age, in babies as well as schoolchildren or the elderly.
The symptoms of anal fissures are pain and light red blood in the stool or on the toilet paper.

Intolerance to milk and soy proteins, also known as cow’s milk allergy, milk-borne enterocolitis or proctocolitis, is an infant disease.
It can also occur in nursing children if the mother eats cow’s milk or soy products.
Protein intolerance usually disappears within the first year of life.
Typical symptoms of intolerance to milk or soy proteins are vomiting and diarrhea, as well as blood in the stool or blood stored in the stool.
The treatment provides for the waiver of cow’s milk.

Rarer causes
Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, lead to inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. The inflammation causes symptoms such as blood in the stool, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Infectious diarrhea
Infectious diarrhea is caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites and can cause blood in the stool in preschool and school age children.
Infectious diarrhea can result from eating contaminated food and drink or as a result of antibiotic treatment.
Typical symptoms are abdominal pain, fever and bloody diarrhea.

Juvenile polyps are tumors that can develop between the ages of 2 and 8. The symptoms are usually painless rectal bleeding.
Juvenile polyps are usually not precancerous or cancerous, but require medical evaluation and usually have to be removed.

Various serious diseases, such as the intussusception of the intestine (a type of intestinal obstruction) or Hirschsprung’s disease, also known as congenital or aganglionotic megacolon (occlusion of the colon, the ahead childbirth because some nerves are missing) can produce blood in the stool.
Occlusion is the medical term for an intestinal obstruction.
Most of these disorders cause a sudden malaise of the Babies.

When is concern? Diagnosis of blood in the stool

In any case, a visit to the doctor is recommended to clarify the exact causes of the blood in the stool.
For example, black stool (tarry stool) can be caused by a gastric or duodenal ulcer or another disorder in the upper digestive tract and can occur together with stomach pain.
Light red blood in the brown stool usually indicates a disturbance in the lower digestive system, such as hemorrhoids or diverticulitis.
After the doctor has inquired about the patient’s medical history (medical history) and examined him physically, he can carry out additional examinations to determine the cause of the bleeding.

Who is the right contact person??

The first point of contact is the family doctor, who may refer the patient to a gastrointestinal specialist (gastroenterologist).

Which examinations are carried out?

endoscopy
During this mirror examination, an endoscope is inserted through the mouth into the digestive system to examine the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum.
The endoscope is a flexible, tube-like instrument with a camera at one end.
Tissue samples can also be taken with the endoscope, which can then be examined microscopically in the laboratory (biopsy).

colonoscopy
In this method of examination, the endoscope or colonoscope is inserted into the rectum to control the large intestine. As with endoscopy, tissue samples can also be taken for analysis during colonoscopy.

enteroscopy
This examination method is similar to endoscopy and colonoscopy and is used to examine the small intestine.
In some cases, a capsule provided with a camera has to be swallowed, which then transmits images to a screen as it passes through the digestive system.

enema
This procedure uses barium as a contrast agent to visualize the digestive tract on an x-ray. The barium is swallowed or introduced into the large intestine.

angiography
Here a special dye is injected into the vein. This substance is used to visualize the blood vessels on an X-ray or computer tomography.
Bleeding can be identified in this way because the dye escapes from the blood vessels and collects at the point where the hemorrhage exists.

laparotomy
With this surgical method, the doctor makes a few small incisions in the abdomen to examine the abdomen. This may be necessary if the cause of the bleeding cannot be determined from the other examinations.

Laboratory tests are also carried out on blood in the stool, because the samples can be used to identify problems with blood clotting, anemia and an infection with Helicobacter pylori.

Therapy for blood in the stool

Treatment depends on the cause, the following therapeutic measures are possible:

Antibiotics for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori.
Anti-inflammatory drugs to treat colitis.
Surgical intervention to remove the polyps or parts of the stomach damaged by cancer, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel diseases.

For hemorrhoids, creams and suppositories can be used.
In many cases, simple self-treatment with natural remedies is possible.