Blood in stool or tar stools: causes and treatment
We are going to talk throughout this article about a somewhat unpleasant and scatological phenomenon, such as blood in the faeces , also called tarry stools , as well as of its causes and its treatment . In the first place, it must be said that the blood in the stool is usually due to an irritation when evacuating, of a very strong push, of hemorrhoids, which is usually the widening of the blood vessels, around one year, of an ulcer, or even of more serious causes, such as low platelet count or a tumor in the area.
Causes of blood in stool or tarry stools
Before examining the causes of blood in the stool or tarry stools, we have to differentiate the types of blood in the stool that we have.
The blood hidden in the stool, is not visible to the naked eye, so to determine it requires a clinical test, called test guaiac.
The manes or tarry stools, are stools of black color and foul odor, product of a high gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
The hematochezia is a mixture of light and dark blood in the stools.
On the other hand, the rectal bleeding , appears with red color of course, due to a low gastrointestinal haemorrhage, a hemorrhage in the upper parts of the digestive tract, or hemorrhoids.
Normally, the visible or hidden blood comes from hemorrhages of the intestinal tract.
The causes, of the blood in the stool as we say, can be very varied, it is normal for people when they see the tent appear to be scared, fearing having a bowel or colon cancer . But there is a lot of inconsequential causes that cause blood in the stool. Therefore, it is always advisable to see the doctor in case of tarry stools.
When we have hemorrhoids , bright red blood often appears covering the stool. Hemorrhoids are benign dilations in the area of the anal sphincter, which together with the sphincter serve as a mechanism to contain the anus. It can also appear as a product of tears in the mucosa. Anal fissures are very common in chronic intestinal diseases, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease .
There are other causes, which can cause blood in the stool. This is the case of intestinal diverticulum , intestinal cancer , intestinal polyps, also inflammation of blood vessels, as well as malformations of the colon, and other diseases of the blood. Keep in mind that bowel cancer is almost always caused by polyps.
Manes are caused by a contact of blood with gastric acid, fecal matter ends up acquiring a black color. The bleeding in the upper digestive tract, usually causes a ulcer , which can be either gastric or duodenal.
We also have the esogáficas hernias , which are those in which we see a displacement of the parts of the stomach to the thorax, is the case of the
In general, we have three causes of the appearance of blood in stool or tarry stools, which have nothing to do with colon cancer or other similar disease. This is the case of hemorrhoids or anal fissure, of inflammatory bowel disease or of high bleeding in the stomach , if the stools are black and sticky.It is usually the case of hemorrhoids and anal fissures. There is also the option of surgical intervention in the most extreme cases.
First, we must determine the origin of the bleeding , that is, we must identify the color. If it is black , in this case, we would have 'mane', so it comes from the esophagus, stomach or small intestine. The causes can be varied, such as problems with blood vessels, stomach ulcers, normal veins in stomach or esophagus, varicose veins ...
If the stools are red , we are facing hematochezia, what blood comes from the lower part of the digestive tract and there are problems in the blood vessels or in the cut off of blood supply in the small intestine, in the thick, or infected colon lumps ...
There is to take into account, an agent that is not blood , something that we have eaten. Iron or licorice tablets in the case that the color is black, or tomatoes or beets if it is red.
We must also evaluate if we are taking medications that can cause bleeding in the digestive tract. This is the case of anticoagulant drugs, such as aspirin, anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen or even over-the-counter drugs.
After all these steps, we should look for medical attention . In this case, we must offer all possible information to our doctor, about how much blood there is, when it started, if there is vomiting, fever, etc.
It is likely that the doctor from this information has to examine the anal rectum.
We should have more tests to determine the problem, such as endoscopic capsules, angiographies and x-rays, barium studies, colonoscopies, or even an endoscopic retrograde olangiopancreatography, to examine the liver, the gallbladder and the pancreas.
In the section on stop bleeding , we must bear in mind that we have to let the minor problems heal naturally, it is the case of hemorrhoids, anal fissures and gastroenteritis.
Use antibiotics especially for diverticulitis and diseases that do not heal themselves.
The ulcers, abnormal blood vessels and diseases of the style or we should treat them with different means, but especially with endoscopies . If the bleeding is severe, we should not rule out undergoing surgery, while if we had colon cancer, we would have to fight it aggressively, with surgery and chemotherapy and radiotherapy, if necessary.
may be of interest :
- What is glucomannan and what is it for?
- Gangrenous appendicitis: causes, symptoms and treatment