Why are you passing black stools?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor I Tran Quoc Vinh - Emergency Doctor - Department of Resuscitation - Emergency - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
Black stools are a common phenomenon, which can be due to the color of the food or the use of drugs. However, the cause of black stools cannot be ruled out as some serious medical condition or medical condition going on in the body.

1. What is the cause of black stools?

Normally, we can see black stools in case of eating some special foods or drugs such as blood (secretion), iron supplements, drugs containing Bismuth... However, black stools are also present. May be a sign of a mild or serious illness involving the gastrointestinal tract.
In fact, bleeding from any part of the digestive system (starting from the mouth to the anus) can lead to black or bloody stools. In addition, blood can also flow from the nasopharyngeal lesions, flow down and be swallowed into the digestive system. Specifically, there are three main causes of bleeding: bleeding from peptic ulcers (most common), ruptured esophageal veins and biliary tract bleeding. In addition, it can also be caused by bleeding gums, bleeding during tonsillectomy, coughing up blood, causing the patient to swallow blood into the digestive tract. Blood in the gastrointestinal tract under the action of gastric juice and intestinal juice will cause red blood cells to degrade and become black.
If stools are black, tarry and have a foul odor, this is usually a symptom suggestive of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, hepatobiliary tract or small intestine). If the lower gastrointestinal tract (colon, rectum or anus) is affected, the stool may contain bright red blood with blood clots.
Depending on the size of the lesion, the degree of bleeding inside the digestive system and the length of time the blood stays in the intestines, the color of the blood in the stool can be seen. If there is only a very small amount of blood in the stool, it will not usually change the color of the stool significantly.

2. Symptoms accompanied by black stools

2.1 Common symptoms

Stomachache. Change bowel habits. Diarrhea. Stomach bloating Flu-like symptoms such as: fatigue, fever, sore throat, headache, cough, aches and pains... Bad smelling stools Nausea and vomiting Jaundice appears. Loss of appetite Pain or burning in the rectum. Weight loss.

2.2 Serious symptoms to watch out for

Altered consciousness: lethargy, coma, unresponsive to stimuli. Sudden changes in mental status, behavior: confusion, delirium, hallucinations and delusions. Dizzy. High fever over 39 degrees C Palpitations, fast heart rate Shortness of breath, shortness of breath, wheezing, inability to breathe or choking. Stiff abdomen. Severe abdominal pain.

3. Some diseases have symptoms of black stools

When passing black stools for a long time, one of the following diseases can be suspected:
Gastric ulcer - duodenal ulcer
When the stomach is damaged, ulceration is even bleeding, blood from the ulcer remains. It is then excreted in the feces. A number of factors such as antibiotics, pain relievers can be the cause of this disease.
Esophagitis
When esophagitis has bleeding, blood will also mix with waste products, leading to black stools.
Ear, nose and throat diseases
When suffering from ENT problems, there may be symptoms of internal bleeding, blood is swallowed into the stomach and excreted in the feces. This is a rare cause of black stools, but it can happen.
Inflammation / tumor of the small intestine
The small intestine is the last part of the digestive system, when the small intestine has problems such as inflammation, intestinal tumor, the color of stool will also be changed.
Bleeding inside the biliary tract
People with a history of liver disease, liver injury, bile stamping, gallstones... can lead to biliary hemorrhage, causing damage to blood vessels, causing bleeding down the intestines, causing black stools.
Cancer
Some patients with early stage stomach and rectal cancer will have black stools of unknown mechanism. However, when detecting black stools for a long time, it is necessary to quickly examine and treat immediately.

4. Is black stool dangerous?

Black stool is usually a manifestation of bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract (after ruling out the cause of food and medicine), we should not be subjective with this sign but need to go to the doctor soon to find out. Cause, Some cases of black stools late to the hospital can be life-threatening and cause the spread or metastasis of cancer cells.
In addition, long-term gastrointestinal bleeding can lead to anemia, hemorrhage and severe blood loss causing shock, if severe hemobilia can lead to infectious complications and even deadly.
Periodic health check-ups help to detect diseases early so that there is a treatment plan for optimal results. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has general health checkup packages suitable for each age, gender and individual needs of customers with a reasonable price policy, including:
Health checkup package diamond general health checkup package Vip special health checkup package Comprehensive health checkup package Standard general health checkup package Patient's examination results will be returned to your home. After receiving the results of the general health examination, if you detect diseases that require intensive examination and treatment, you can use services from other specialties right at the Hospital with quality treatment and services. outstanding customer service.

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