What Causes Blood In Stool?

Posted on Thu, 12 Jun 2014

Question: I just had a normal bm but I had a small amount of red blood In the stool, I have no discomfort or feeling of a problem

Answered by Dr. Guru (25 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Blood in stool in elderlypeople(painless)isconcern

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

Thanks for consulting HealthcareMagic!

Blood in stool in elderly people (particularly if not associated with pain) is a big concern. It can be due to many things including less serious problems like diverticulosis etc or can be due to serious problems like colon cancer etc. However, a Physical examination along with investigations like colonoscopy are mandatory to assess this since there are variety of other causes that needs to be ruled out.

Hope I have answered your query. If you are satisfied, you may now close the discussion and rate the answer.

Wish you good health!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Guru (1 hour later)

is there a difference as this was light red blood rather than dark black stool?

Answered by Dr. Guru (15 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Yes it helps in differentiating the site of origin

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Yes, it help in differentiating the site of origin of blood coming from. Blood when mixed with acidic contents of stomach turns into black stool. So, the site may be from a place where it is not getting mixed by the acid of stomach.

This would be a useful hint in diagnosis for the doctor.

Take care!

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar