Blood in the stool
Most parents usually consider the presence of red fluid in the stool as a sign of the presence of blood. But very often
cause the of the red color of the chair are food products such as gelatinous desserts, fruits, beets, tomatoes, hot or sweet peppers. Red stool color may also determine some red medicines. Therefore, when a red color appears in the stool, it is important to remember what the child has been taking in the last 24 hours.
Blood in the stool comes from the intestinal tract, passing from the stomach to the rectum. However, since there are many types of bloody stools, the signs and symptoms of it are very different. For example, in stool can be small spots of blood, blood can cover the last part in the rest of the usual chair, the blood can be mixed with a stool in the presence of diarrhea. If blood in the stool is present due to nosebleed or stomach disease, it usually acquires a dark, almost black color. For this type of bloody stool, parents almost never pay attention.
Each of these symptoms may indicate a specific disease that requires individual treatment. Therefore, parents should carefully study the stool when selecting a part of the feces for analysis.
Possible causes
Bright red blood, visible in small parts of the last part of the stool or on toilet paper,
may indicate tears or cracks in the skin of the anal( outlet) hole. This is the most common cause of blood in the stool. Its source can be constipation( when hard stool masses scratch the hole), torn hemorrhoidal formation, scratching with the fingers of the anus, incautiousness when measuring temperature with a thermometer inserted into the anus. In such cases, usually during the excrement, there is pain.
Milk allergy can also cause the appearance of blood. In this case, the amount of blood is small, and it is bright red. It is also possible that the child vomited that he had diarrhea, a stomach ache.
A newborn baby can swallow a mother's blood during labor or breastfeeding while eating. In this case, the blood color is port wine or, more commonly, black and mucous. At the same time, there are no other symptoms and the child looks healthy.
Inflammation of the small and large intestines can cause the appearance of a bloody, watery stool. There may be bloating, shock, the child looks extremely weakened, painful.
Inflammation, irritation or ulceration of the stomach can lead to bleeding, which gives bright red blood in the stool. There may also be a pain in the stomach or a painful reaction of
when touching the baby's abdomen. Such children cry all the time.
Infection of the stomach or intestinal tract occurs as a result of the action of bacteria or parasites. In addition to bleeding, symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and fever can be observed.
A small amount of bright red blood in the absence of pain in the stomach, but, possibly, with minor diarrhea, may indicate the presence of polyps in the intestine.
If one intestinal loop penetrates into another part of the intestine, then there is an obstruction of the intestine. If this condition lasts for some time, the stool may have blood, the stool looks like a currant jelly. If the intestine is obstructed, the child may experience pain in the lower abdomen and look completely sick. Sometimes there is a rapid outbreak of pain, and then there comes a short period without pain. This disease, which usually affects children under two years of age( but can affect older children), requires immediate medical intervention. It is recommended to use a barium enema for both diagnosis and treatment. If this does not help, urgent surgical intervention will be required.
This list is by no means exhaustive, because there are other situations that can lead to the appearance of blood in the stool. For example, a lot of blood can appear in a disease called a Meckelian diverticulum. It is characterized by protrusion and inflammation of the wall of the small intestine. In this case, the child looks pale, but there may not be constant pain.
Other sources of bloody stool may be inflammation and ulceration of the colon( colon), Crohn's disease( recurrent inflammation of the lower part of the small intestine), ulcers and inflammation of other parts of the food tract, for example, the esophagus. Often with this, pain is noted, especially when eating.
The best advice for parents in case a child has a stool with blood - pay attention to the stool and the appearance of the child and inform everyone about the
that worries you, to the doctor. Then follow his instructions carefully.
The doctor will ask parents a few questions, including pain during the stool, the presence of constipation, other symptoms such as fever, stomach pain and vomiting;about the exact color of the chair and the time of the last meal of the child.
He also examines the anus to make sure that the child does not have any cuts or cracks. In addition, he hands with palpation and percussion( probing and tapping) examines the stomach, stomach and intestines. It is also necessary to examine the blood in the stool.
In the course of the examination, the diagnosis will become more confident. The doctor may prescribe a complete blood test, the determination of ESR, the study of stool on
. If blood is present in the stool, the doctor should be informed immediately. Describe exactly what the chair looks like, describe the state of the child. Dangerous and cases when the blood is present during vomiting, with diarrhea, when the feces look very black, or when the child has bleeding without obvious trauma.
If symptoms such as loss of consciousness, persistent vomiting, severe pain, pallor, sweating, weakness occur, the child should immediately be taken to the hospital.
culture and the presence of parasites. The doctor may also suggest putting a barium enema if he suspects an intestinal obstruction. A newborn doctor can be hospitalized if the stool contains large amounts of blood, pus and mucus( this can mean inflammation of the rectum, which is very serious).
The most common cause of the presence of blood in the stool, we repeat, is a crack or rupture in the rectum, which requires simple treatment. Often the doctor offers three stages of treatment: first, changing the diet of the child, which leads to a decrease in the stool of indigestible food residues and other products, which makes the stool softer. He can also offer a reduction in milk intake. Secondly, the doctor will recommend local washing of the affected area with warm water three to four times a day. Thirdly, prescribe local treatment( usually prescribed hydrocortisone or 2% xylocaine ointment two to three times a day).
Repeated courses prescribe enemas with rose hip oil( for 15-20 days).Good enema helps with astringents( broth chamomile, starch).
Usually a small amount of blood in the stool should not cause much concern. But it is better to inform the doctor immediately, and he will decide whether it is dangerous or not.