What happens if there is blood in the stool?

Blood in the stool should never be ignored, because many reasons can cause the symptom of blood in the stool. Common diseases such as external hemorrhoids, anal fissures, or colorectal polyps can cause blood in the stool, so it is necessary to identify the cause and then treat it symptomatically.

1. Bright red blood in the stool: internal hemorrhoids. Benign diseases, including internal and external hemorrhoids, anal fissures, colon polyps, anal fistulas, etc., will not cause the color of blood in the stool to be exactly the same. They can also be distinguished based on the color and amount of blood. Internal hemorrhoids bleed in large amounts and are bright red. They bleed during bowel movements and usually stop after bowel movements. The bleeding is applied to the surface of the stool, or it is blood alone, and there is no anal pain.

2. Small amount of fresh blood-red stool: anal fissure. Anal fissure bleeding is bright red but less in amount, the anus is painful, the blood is on the surface of the stool, or there is blood on the toilet paper.

3. Bloody stools: colitis, anal fistula: Bloody stools caused by colitis are generally bloody stools with pus in the form of blood, the amount may be more or less, and the color is dull but darker. When applied to the surface of the stool, the pus and blood are mixed. The blood in the stool caused by anal fistula is also pus and blood in the stool, but it is intermittent and may occur irregularly or regularly, with more or less amount. There may be pain in the buttocks, anus or around the anus during or before the attack, and there may also be fever, and the patient cannot sit and wait for symptoms.

4. Black blood in the stool: upper gastrointestinal tract. Common bleeding sites: esophageal varicose bleeding, gastric and duodenal ulcer bleeding, esophageal cancer, cardiac cancer, gastric cancer, cancer (gland) destruction bleeding, bile duct bleeding, etc. The amount of blood varies. The characteristic of blood in the stool is black color, because the red blood cells are destroyed by digestive juices, such as gastric juice, duodenal juice, bile, pancreatic juice and other fluids, and are destroyed and decomposed into non-blood cell organic matter. They are then mixed with the digested food and enter the small intestine and colon to be digested and absorbed.

5. Jam-colored blood in the stool: lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The blood in the stool caused by tumors is not bright red in color, but rather a darker color like jam. This is because the tumor tissue is brittle, easy to rot and fall off. Under the influence of the resistance of food residues and stool passing through, the tumor tissue will necrotize and fall off, or mix with them, or stay on the surface and be discharged from the body together.