Bloody or Tarry Stools
Alternate Names : Hematochezia, Melena, Stools - Black or Tarry, Stools - Bloody
Definition
Bloody stools often indicate an injury or disorder in the digestive tract. Your doctor may use the term "melena" to describe black, tarry, and foul-smelling stools or "hematochezia" to describe red or maroon-colored stools.
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Overview & Considerations
Blood in the stool can originate from anywhere along your digestive tract from your mouth to your anus. It may be present in such small amounts that you cannot actually see it, but is only detectable by a chemical test (called fecal occult blood test). When there is enough blood to change the appearance of your stools, the doctor will typically want to know the exact color in order to try to estimate the site of bleeding. To make a definite diagnosis, however, endoscopy or special x-ray studies are needed.
A black stool usually means that the blood is coming from the upper part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This includes the esophagus, stomach, or first part of the small intestine. The reason is that blood will typically appear like tar after it has been exposed to the body's digestive juices. Stomach ulcers caused by NSAIDS (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin) are common causes of upper GI bleeding.
Maroon-colored stools or bright red blood usually suggests that the blood is coming from the lower part of the GI tract (large bowel or rectum). However, sometimes massive or very rapid bleeding in the stomach causes bright red stools. Hemmorhoids and diverticulitis (inflammation of an abnormal pouch in the colon called a diverticulum) are the most common causes of lower GI bleeding.
Consuming black licorice, lead, iron pills, bismuth medicines like Pepto-Bismol, or blueberries can also cause black stools. Beets and tomatoes can sometimes make stools appear reddish. In these cases, your doctor can test the stool with a chemical to rule out the presence of blood.
Brisk bleeding in the esophagus or stomach (such as peptic ulcer disease), can also cause you to vomit blood.
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