Welcoming our lovely readers to our weekly health diaries column where we delve into various disease-related topics simplifying complex concepts for our readers.
Seeing blood in the stool can be frightening and should never be ignored. It can be a sign of a more serious problem that needs medical attention.
Blood may appear as bright red streaks on the stool, blood on toilet paper, blood mixed with stool, or very dark or black stool. The appearance can provide clues about where the bleeding is coming from, but it cannot determine the cause by itself.
One common cause is haemorrhoids. These are swollen blood vessels around the anus and may cause bright red bleeding, particularly during bowel movements.
Another common cause is an anal fissure, which is a small tear around the anus. It can occur after passing a hard stool and is often associated with pain during bowel movements.
Other possible causes include inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, bowel polyps and, in some cases, cancers of the digestive tract.
Do not self-diagnose based only on the colour of the blood. A healthcare professional may need to examine you and, depending on your symptoms, perform blood or stool tests or other investigations to determine the cause.
If constipation is contributing to the problem, increasing fibre and fluids and avoiding straining may help, but persistent bleeding still deserves medical assessment.
Blood in the stool is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Sometimes it comes from something easily treated; sometimes it signals a condition that needs prompt attention.
