No amount of blood in the stool is normal, but some causes may be more dangerous than others. Sometimes there is blood in such small amounts that it can't be seen with the eye. In these cases, it must be identified with a test called a fecal occult test.
A person should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they notice black or dark red stool or have bloody diarrhea. A person with the following symptoms may be losing a large amount of blood and should seek emergency medical help: a lot of blood or clots in the toilet bowl.
If you are experiencing bloody stools or bleeding from a bowel movement, you may need to see a doctor. Seek immediate medical attention if you are experiencing fever, excessive weakness, vomiting, or seeing large amounts of blood in your stool.
Blood from higher up in the bowel doesn't look bright red. It goes dark red or black and can make your poo look like tar. This type of bleeding can be a sign of cancer higher up the bowel.
If you notice blood in the stool, it warrants a call to your physician. Red blood in the stool and rectal bleeding are associated with many diseases and conditions of the digestive tract, including colon and rectal cancer, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), among others.
Bright red blood usually means bleeding that's low in your colon or rectum. Dark red or maroon blood can mean that you have bleeding higher in the colon or in the small bowel. Melena (dark and tar-like stool) often points to bleeding in the stomach, such as bleeding from ulcers.
However, the majority of patients with rectal bleeding in primary care do not have serious disease, with estimates of the risk of colorectal cancer varying between 2.4 and 11.0% (Douek et al, 1999; du Toit et al, 2006).
Most colon cancers bleed, usually slowly. The stool may be streaked or mixed with blood, but often the blood cannot be seen. The most common first symptom of rectal cancer is bleeding during a bowel movement.
If your stool is bright red or black — which may indicate the presence of blood — seek prompt medical attention. Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly, such as due to diarrhea.
“Bright red blood might be something low in the colon or rectum like diverticular bleeding or hemorrhoids, darker blood may be from higher up in the colon,” says Richards. “If the blood is more black or tar-like, that might signal an issue in the small intestine or stomach.”
Blood found in your feces (stool), on toilet paper or in the toilet after a bowel movement is often times is harmless, but can signal a serious health condition. Blood in your stool is also sometimes discovered in routine diagnostic tests.
Blood from your stool could look bright red, or it might be dark red or black. How the blood looks depends on where it is coming from. Spots of red blood on the toilet paper, drops in the toilet bowl, blood on the surface of your stool or in your underwear indicate the bleeding is coming from the anus or lower rectum.
The most common symptom of a mild condition is seeing a few drops of bright red blood after a bowel movement. The blood may be visible in the toilet, streaked on the stool itself, or simply apparent on the toilet paper.
Bleeding is common with hemorrhoids. It usually occurs after a bowel movement. It's not unusual to see streaks of blood or traces of blood on toilet tissue after wiping. You may even see blood in the toilet or in the stool you just passed.
Signs and symptoms of bowel cancer
The 3 main symptoms of bowel cancer are blood in the stools (faeces), a change in bowel habit, such as more frequent, looser stools, and abdominal (tummy) pain. However, these symptoms are very common.
Common benign (non-serious) causes — If you see a small amount of bright red blood on the toilet paper after wiping, on the outside of your stool, or in the toilet, this may be caused by hemorrhoids or an anal fissure. Both of these conditions are benign, and there are treatments that can help.
Get Screened. If you have blood in your stool or notice blood in the toilet or on the toilet paper after a bowel movement, call your doctor right away. Do not wait to see if it goes away on its own. And If you're over 45, we recommend scheduling a colonoscopy – whether you have risk factors or not.
Most colon cancers bleed, usually slowly. The stool may be streaked or mixed with blood, but often the blood cannot be seen. The most common first symptom of rectal cancer is bleeding during a bowel movement.
Bleeding attributed to internal hemorrhoids is usually bright red and can be quite brisk. It may be found on the toilet paper, dripping into the toilet bowl, or streaked on the stool itself. Not all patients with symptomatic internal hemorrhoids will have significant bleeding.
Causes of anal discharge
Mucus-based discharge may be caused by: Infection due to food-poisoning, bacteria or parasites. An abscess due to infection or an anal fistula – a channel that can develop between the end of your bowel and anus after an abscess.