Blood in the stool
A small amount of bright red blood on the surface of the stool or found on the toilet paper is often caused by local irritation of the rectum. This could be caused by an anal fissure or hemorrhoids, which may occur after diarrhea or straining at a bowel movement because of constipation. This type of bleeding may or may occur with a painful bowel movement. This is not serious if there is only a small amount of blood and if the bleeding stops when the diarrhea or constipation stops. Home treatment usually will be all that is needed.
Bleeding can occur anywhere in the digestive tract. The blood is digested as it moves through the digestive tract. The longer it takes the blood to move through the digestive tract, the less it will look like blood, because it will be partially digested. Often blood from bleeding in the stomach will look black and tarry. Blood that has moved quickly through the digestive tract may appear red or dark red.
It is important to visit your health professional when stools are black, tarry, or mixed with blood that is bright red or dark red. If you are older than age 50, talk with your doctor any time you have new rectal bleeding or notice blood on your stools. Your health professional may recommend screening tests to rule out a more serious problem, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer, or diverticulosis. There are easy tests you can get from your health professional to check for even very small amounts of blood in your stool.
Note: Some foods and medicines can also change the look of the stool. If you take bismuth subsalicylate, such as Pepto-Bismol, or iron tablets, your stool may look black, and if you eat lots of beets, your stool may turn red.
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: April 9, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology | |
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