Blood in stool : causes, diagnosis and prevention

Blood in stool:-

Blood in stool is a complaint by the person who passes bloody stool . In medicine blood in stool is called as:-

Malena : the stool is dark blackish in color, is due to bleed in upper part of digestive tract.

Hematochezia :  The stool containing bright blood, is due to bleed in lower part of digestive tract.

The term fecal occult blood is used when presence of blood is confirmed in blood after laboratory studies.

Blood in stool is an indication of injury or bleed in the digestive tract.

when patient complaints blood in stools, no need to get anxious. The blood in the stool may be due to presence of red pigment, which is escaped from digestive tract. The small amount of fresh blood in stool is not a problem. The black, dark stool indicates that blood is from upper digestive tract , i.e. esophagus, stomach, and upper part of intestine. After passing through digestive tract blood becomes tar color. The fresh blood indicates bleeding from lower part of digestive tract. Most of the times fresh blood in stool is associated with hemorrhoids.

Causes of stool in blood:-

* bleeding in upper digestive tract.
* bleeding stomach or gastric ulcer,
* esophagus varices,
* vascular malformation,
* bowel ischemia, ( lack of blood supply to intestines )
* presence of foreign body in upper digestive tract.

Lower digestive tract causes:-

* hemorrhoids,
* fissures,
* intestinal infections,
* trauma or foreign body,
* vascular malformation,
* presence of foreign body,
* diverticular bleeding,
* tumor in lower digestive tract, etc.

Other causes:-

* bloody diarrhoea,
* colitis,
* regional enteritis,
* acute food poisoning,
* ischemic colitis, etc

The questions to be asked:-

* if blood present only on toilet paper ?
* blood is bright or dark color in stool ?
* from how many days you have noticed blood in stool ?
* are you taking anticoagulants or NSAIDS ?
* do you got any abdominal injury or ingested foreign body to digestive tract ?
* have you lost any weight recently ?
* do you have any other problems associated with blood in blood ?

Diagnostic tests:-

* colonoscopy,
* gastroscopy or EGD,
* complete and differential blood count,
* barium test,
* angiography,
* bleeding scan,
* abdominal x ray.
* test to confirm helicobacter pylori in stomach.

Prevention of blood in stool:-

* Consume green leaf vegetables and fibre rich food to reduce the risk of hemorrhoids, colon cancer, diverticulitis, and constipation.
* Drink adequate fluids to avoid constipation,
* GIVE UP SMOKING as it causes gastric ulcer and bleeding.
* Avoid alcohol consumption to avoid irritation of esophagus and stomach.
* DON’T take NSAIDS for prolonged period, as they cause intestinal bleeding.
* Get antibiotic treatment for helicobacter pylori infection.
* Get appropriate medical treatment as soon as you notice blood in stool for more than three times defecation.