Blood In Stool – 7 Possible Causes In The Colon
Posted on February 8, 2010
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Blood in stool is often discovered with some alarm, accompanied suitably by exclamations of bloody (not the expletive but the adjective). Dots of blood, scarlet red, stand out plainly on excrement. Toilet tissue is smeared by maroon red dots of blood. Bright red spots of blood dribble into the toilet bowl or down the legs. A sudden bout of fright causes our hearts to skip a beat or two.
Consternation is understandable but panic is unwarranted at this stage as the rectal bleeding or hemorrhaging could be the result of any of 7 possible causes originating in the colon. Annoying they will be but the majority of the 7 causes are treatable with early detection and the right approach. Do not be complacent. Begin close monitoring. Visit your doctor without delay if bleeding, with pain, drags on for over a week.
Accurate diagnosis will identify the precise ailment so that relevant treatment can be applied to resolve the problem. More crucially, blood in stool may be find its root origin in some kind of cancer.
Melena or Hematochezia
Rectal bleeding may be medically catalogued as melena (black sticky or tarry stools) or hematochezia (maroon or bright red colored blood). Rectal bleeding may leave via the rectum but the root cause may be in the colon (large intestine) or the small intestine. In the colon, the 7 known causes are cancer, colon polyps, diverticulosis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, intestinal ischaemia and peptic ulcer.
Colorectal Cancer
With an annual international fatality toll of 640,000, colorectal cancer ranks as the 3rd most prevailing cancer and also the 3rd most prevailing cause of death. For this very reason one should see a medical professional for unrelenting blood in stool.
Malignant growths in the colon, appendix and rectum are classified as colorectal cancer. Ascertained primarily via colonoscopy (visual diagnosis with a camera mounted on a flexible tube inserted through the anus), colorectal cancer treatment involves surgical excision accompanied by chemotherapy. Timely detection often leads to a complete cure. Those over 50 and those with family history of cancers are categorised under the higher risk group. Colorectal cancer is gender blind, striking both women and men, with no clear-cut bias for either sex..
Another critical piece of information needs to be noted. Contrary to popular internet literature, colorectal cancer frequently brings forth occult (invisible to the naked eye) blood in feces i.e it is NOT a typical cause of visible blood in stool! Colorectal cancer results in occult bleeding i.e. blood is not observable by the naked eye, and special tests are indispensable for confirmation. This is according to the University of Michigan Health System. Important accompanying symptoms to watch out for are diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, weight loss, appetite loss and incessant fatigue.
Colon Polyp
Polyps are in the main benign growths, raised or flat, on the walls of the intestinal tract and the rectum. Those above 50 years of age and with a family history of polyps and colorectal cancer have a preponderance to polyps. Contributory factors include lack of exercise, obesity, alcohol and smoking. In truth, the actual culprit is unclear.
For safety sake, benign polyps are normally excised during colonoscopy as they may become malignant. Many people who have polyps demonstrate no symptoms at all. But on occasion, blood in stool crop up.
Diverticulosis
Diverticulosis causes pouches (diverticula) to extend out of the colon wall. Abnormal colon pressure is speculated to be the reason of diverticula growth. A deficiency of dietary fiber is believed to be an ancillary factor. Diverticulitis is an infection that may arise if food gets embedded in diverticula. Further damage can occur if the infected diverticulum breaks to disseminate bacteria to the abdominal lining. The conceivably deadly peritonitis can materialise.
Diverticulosis do not cause distinct symptoms in many people. Some may endure symptoms of constipation, bloating and mild cramps. Rectal bleeding, nausea and vomiting are the more acute symptoms. The prospect of peritonitis reaffirm the view that blood in stool should first be examined by a doctor. A CT (computed tomography) scan is 98% effective in diagnosing diverticulitis.
Ulcerative Colitis
IBD or inflammatory bowel disease, under which colitis is grouped, affects the large intestine (colon) and the small intestine. Inflammation is a healthy response of the body when its tissues are damaged. However, if not terminated when regenerating of injured tissue is completed, inflammation can lead to greater tissue injury. Ulcerative colitis is caused by ulcers which are wearing away of the mucous membrane lining.
Among other symptoms, blood in stool is frequent. Eliminating colitis as the reason behind rectal bleeding is critical as they can become very severe when the colon is perforated.
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease but is also an auto-immune disease in which the body’s immune system turns on the gastrointestinal tract inducing harmful inflammation. It can happen anywhere in of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. However, the large intestine (colon) and small intestine, are the usual sites~But it primarily affects the small and large intestine (colon)~The small and large intestine (colon), however, are the usual affected areas.
Contributory causes, though not precisely identified, include smoking, genetic makeup and industrial environmental exposure. The symptoms are blood in stool, serious bloody diarrhea, blood in toilet bowl or on toilet tissue, fever and weight loss.
Crohn’s disease, also known as granulomatous colitis, can go into abeyance and happen again periodically on a life-long basis. There is at present no known medical cure, whether pharmaceutical or surgical. Early detection is helpful for effective management of the symptoms and checking recurrences.
Intestinal Ischemia
Restricting blood to any part of the body is known as ischemia. Dysfunctional arteries cause tissue damage due to the deprivation of blood nutrients and oxygen. Causing inflammation of the large intestines, intestinal ischemia is a inadequacy blood supply that result from blood vessel constriction, blood clots and high blood pressure.
Symptoms include blood in stool, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, abdominal bloating,acute and violent bowel movements, weight loss, nausea and fever. Persistent pain warrants immediate medical attention to rejuvenate regular blood supply to the intestinal tract. Getting around clogged blood vessels and expunging blood clots and infected tissue may require surgery. To counter clots and infections, respective medication includes anticoagulants and antibiotics.
Peptic Ulcer
An acutely painful ulcer, this is located in the gastrointestinal tract. An ulcer is an deterioration of the mucosal membrane that is at least 0.5cm in diameter. The duodenum (initial part of the small intestine), and not the stomach, is where peptic ulcers are primarily found. A bacterium that inflicts chronic gastritis is conjectured to be a major cause of peptic ulcers.
Symptoms include blood in stool (melena), abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, appetite and weight loss, vomiting of blood and at the extreme, perforation of the intestine. This can lead to possibly deadly peritonitis and entails emergency surgery. In milder cases, bacteria and acidity can be cured by antibiotics and antacids respectively.
Hemorrhoids
7 very good reasons have been set out above as a basis to why rectal bleeding should first be examined by a doctor for an accurate diagnosis. Swift recovery can be achieved with proper treatment, perhaps surgery, and medication.
Do not be dispirited by the serious causes above for the most common cause of blood in stool is the relatively less daunting hemorrhoids.
Further Reading
If you are interested in finding more about this topic, we have a related post on Bowel Movement Bleeding – Six Possible Causes Of Rectal Bleeding at our site. Do check this out.
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