5 Reasons Your Stool is Red

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Red stool can be a symptom of internal bleeding and may come with uncomfortable symptoms.

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Written by

Shria Kumar, MD.

Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellow, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Last updated February 8, 2021

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What’s causing your red stool

Causes

Next steps

Treatment

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Written by

Shria Kumar, MD.

Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellow, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Last updated February 8, 2021

Red stool quiz

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Red stool may be caused by a red food you eat, like beets, or may also be caused by bleeding in your lower GI tract. Causes of the bleeding could be somewhat superficial like a hemorrhoid, anal fissure, or abbrasians, or signs of inflammation in your bowels, bleeding in your stomach or intestines, or colon cancer.

5 most common causes

Anal Fissure

Illustration of a person thinking with cross bandaids.

Colonic neoplasm

Hemorrhoids

Crohn’s Disease

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Gi bleeding

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What’s causing your red stool

Seeing reddish stool in the toilet after a bowel movement can be disconcerting. But often it’s caused by red food (tomatoes and beets), dyes, and over-the-counter products. In particular, bismuth, an ingredient in antacids like Pepto-Bismol, might give stool a reddish tint.

But it can also be a sign that you’re bleeding. Bright red streaks on toilet paper or in the toilet may be caused by hemorrhoids or anal fissures, especially when accompanied by anal pain or itching. Or an inflammation in the intestines, from inflammatory bowel disease.

Red stool may also be caused by internal bleeding in the digestive tract, and in some cases, colon cancer. If red stool is accompanied by symptoms like fever, abdominal or rectal discomfort, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting, or blood seems clumpy like coffee grounds or uncontrollable after elimination, call a doctor.

Pro Tip

If you have reddish stools, the most important thing is to figure out why. If it is not clearly related to your diet, if you have other health issues, your doctor will do a workup. —Dr. Shria Kumar

Causes

1. Hemorrhoids

Symptoms

• Painful elimination
• Blood in stool or blood while wiping
• Pain or itching around the anus
• Feeling a lump near the anus

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins around the rectum and anus. They occur in nearly 5% of the U.S. population, and occur most commonly in people between 45 and 65.

They are often inflamed by constipation. When you’re constipated, straining to eliminate can irritate the hemorrhoids and cause them to bleed. Pregnancy can also cause hemorrhoids.

Using laxatives, staying well hydrated, and eating a high fiber diet can help relieve constipation.

Hemorrhoid cream can help you manage symptoms. In some cases, hemorrhoids may have to be surgically removed.

2. Anal fissure

Symptoms

• Constipation
• Pain in the rectum, particularly while passing stool
• Hard stool
• Bloody stool or blood when wiping

Anal fissures are splits or tears in the part of the anus just outside of the body. They’re very common—about 11% of people will have an anal fissure in their lifetime. They can occur after a bout of diarrhea or from constipation. Anal fissures can also occur because of anal sexual activity that may cause mild trauma to the anus, or from trauma to the anal area during childbirth.

Anal fissures usually get better on their own, but you may take laxatives to make passing stool less painful. Sitz baths (sitting waist deep in a bath of warm water, sometimes with baking soda added for additional soothing) can also help relieve the discomfort. Occasionally, a doctor may prescribe medication if the fissure doesn’t get better on its own.

3. GI bleeding

Symptoms

• Bleeding from the rectum
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness
• Fatigue
• Bloody stool

The digestive, or gastrointestinal (GI), tract includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. In general, gastrointestinal bleeding does not just lead to reddish stool, but frank blood is seen (can be with clots), and is accompanied by other symptoms (such as abdominal pain, fatigue, lightheadedness, and weight loss).

GI bleeding that causes red stool is usually lower GI bleeding (from the large intestine, rectum, or anus), but really rapid upper GI bleeding can also cause it. Depending on its severity, it can be a medical emergency.

Causes of lower GI bleeding include diverticulosis, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, colon polyps, or colon cancers. The treatment is targeted to the underlying cause.

4. Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s or colitis)

Symptoms

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Bloody diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Mouth sores
• Joint pains

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is inflammation of the bowel. There are two types: Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It is caused by a complex interplay between genetics, the environment, and your body’s immune system. Early symptoms may develop gradually, or can occur suddenly.

Untreated, IBD causes inflammation throughout the digestive tract, which can lead to malnutrition, cancers, bleeding, and overall poor health. The goal of treatment is to eliminate inflammation. This is typically done through medication and diet.

5. Colorectal cancer

Symptoms

• Weight loss
• Change in appetite
• Change in bowel habits, often (but not always) with blood

Cancer of the colon (large intestine) or rectum is considered colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer typically affects older adults (over age 50), but it can happen at any age. The cancers usually begin as small polyps, and over time, can become cancerous.

This is why colonoscopy screening is recommended: to find and remove these small polyps before they become cancerous. Colorectal cancer can cause a range of subtle and not so subtle symptoms, though usually there are some changes to your bowel habits and eating patterns.

Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation.

Other possible causes of red stool

Dr. Rx

If you eat reddish tinted foods—beets, cranberries, and the like—you may not only notice reddish stools but darker urine as well. This is your body processing and expelling the byproducts of any food you consume—all normal! —Dr. Kumar

A number of conditions may also cause red stool, though these are either rare or red stool is not a main symptom.

• In babies, Meckel’s diverticulum can cause blood in the stool.
• Problems in the upper GI tract (esophagus, stomach, small intestine) can cause red blood, if the bleeding is brisk.

When to call the doctor

In general, if you experience it without a clear trigger (i.e., “I ate beets earlier today”), or if this is something that occurs more than once, you should call your doctor to discuss your symptoms.

Should I go to the ER for red stool?

Pro Tip

Red stool doesn’t necessarily indicate an emergency! —Dr. Kumar

You should go to the emergency department if you have any of these signs of a more serious problem.

• Intense abdominal pain
• High fever
• Stool that looks clumpy, like coffee grounds
• Bleeding that does not stop when you get up from the toilet
• Dizziness, lightheadedness
• Feeling faint
• If you are on blood thinners

Red stool treatments

Treatment is dependent on the cause. If you are having reddish stool based on your diet, no intervention is needed, and you do not need to stop eating those foods.

If you are bleeding, then the treatment is directed at the cause of the bleeding (i.e., hemorrhoid cream and treating constipation for hemorrhoids, or sitz baths and ensuring soft stools for anal fissures).

Shria Kumar, MD.

Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellow, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Dr. Kumar is a gastroenterologist, who completed her fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She received her undergraduate degrees in Religious Studies and Chemistry from New York University (2010) and graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2014), where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She is completing her t…

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What Do Different Poop Colors Mean?

Written by Hope Cristol

• What Do Different Stool Colors Mean?
• Normal Poop Color
• Green Poop
• Yellow Poop
• White, Pale, or Clay-Colored Poop
• Black Poop
• Red or Reddish Poop
• Orange Poop
• When to Get Help for Poop Color Changes
• More

Different stool colors can mean different things, mostly depending on what you’ve eaten.

You’d probably notice if your poop is a different hue than normal. But what does it mean if it’s green? What about red, yellow, white, or black? Or orange?

Most of the time, minor changes in the color of your waste are due to diet. After all, we don’t eat the same thing at every meal, every day. But sometimes a color change can signal a minor health issue. In rare cases, it means something serious is wrong in your digestive system.

If the color you see before you flush worries you, call your doctor.

Poop is normally brown. The color is the result of what you eat and how much bile is in your stool.

Bile is a fluid your liver makes to digest fats. It starts out as a yellowish green color. But as the pigments that give bile its color travel through your digestive system, they go through chemical changes and turn brown.

Your poop can sometimes have a slightly greenish hue, or even be a more vivid green. Most of the time, green or greenish poop is normal.

Is your diet causing green poop?

Think back on what you’ve been eating. These foods and supplements can cause your poop to be green:

• Green veggies, like spinach or kale
• Green food coloring, such as in drink mixes or ice pops
• Iron supplements

Other causes of green poop

If you have green diarrhea, the color of your food may not be to blame. It’s likely that your meal moved through your gut too quickly, so the fat-digesting bile didn’t have time to turn brown.

There may be times when your poop looks more yellow than brown.

This shade is also normal for many people. It’s common for babies, especially those who breastfeed. But if you have yellow poop that looks greasy and smells very bad, it may have too much fat. That could be a sign your body isn’t digesting food properly.

Is your diet causing yellow poop?

Indirectly, your diet could cause yellow poop. If you have celiac disease, your body can’t handle a protein called gluten, which is in wheat, barley, and rye. If you have the condition and eat foods that have gluten, like many breads, pastas, and cookies, your intestines won’t work as they should. So, if you’re eating those foods, and your poop is yellow, it may be time to see a doctor.

Other causes of yellow poop

There may be other causes of yellow poop that’s greasy and smelly. If it happens to you often, tell your doctor.

Sometimes, poop may not have much color at all.

Is your diet causing pale poop?

If your poop is pale, it’s not likely directly due to a food. But medicines for diarrhea like bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol) can sometimes cause pale or clay-colored poop. So can barium, a chalky liquid you drink before you get X-rays of the upper part of your digestive tract.

Other causes of pale poop

A more serious cause is a lack of bile in your stool. (Remember, bile gives poop its brown color.) Your body makes bile in the liver, stores it in the gallbladder, and releases it into your small intestine to help digest your food. If there’s not enough of it to give your poop its typical brown color, it could be a sign of a problem along the way.

Liver disease, such as hepatitis, can keep bile from getting into your body waste. So can a blockage in the tubes (called ducts) that carry bile. This can happen because of:

• Gallstones
• A tumor
• A condition you’re born with called biliary atresia

Babies’ poop is black for the first few days after they’re born. Otherwise, it may be because you ate something very dark-colored or took a medicine or supplement that causes black poop. But this color can be a sign of a more serious problem: bleeding in the upper part of your digestive tract.

Is your diet causing black poop?

Foods and supplements that turn poop black include:

• Black licorice
• Blueberries
• Iron supplements

Medicines that have bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol) can also cause very dark stools.

Other causes of black poop

Poop that looks like tar is often a sign of bleeding in the digestive tract. Some causes include:

• Bleeding from stomach ulcers
• Bleeding sores in your esophagus from acid reflux
• Bleeding from noncancerous tumors in the upper GI tract
• Cancer

If you don’t think black poop came from what you ate, you need to talk to your doctor.

If you see red or reddish poop in the toilet, don’t be alarmed right away. First ask yourself if you’ve had red foods lately.

Is your diet causing red or reddish poop?

Several foods can change the color of your stool to a pink or reddish color:

• Beets
• Tomato soup
• Gelatin dessert
• Red drinks

Other causes of red or reddish poop

If you don’t think your diet is the cause, the red you see may be blood. And if it’s bright red, the blood likely comes from the lower part of your digestive tract. Common causes include:

• Noncancerous tumors
• Cancer
• Inflammation in the colon, called colitis
• Growths called polyps in your colon
• Conditions caused by small sacs in the wall of the colon, called diverticular disease
• Hemorrhoids

Call your doctor if you see red that’s probably not from food you ate.

Poop can often come out the color of the food that went in, especially if you have diarrhea. If your poop has an orange hue, it’s most likely due to some orange foods.

Is your diet causing orange poop?

Foods that have beta-carotene can turn your poop orange, such as:

• Carrots
• Winter squash
• Pumpkin
• Sweet potatoes

Foods with orange coloring, such as sodas, candy, or gelatin dessert, can also give your poop an orange color.

Also, antibiotics and antacids that have aluminum hydroxide in them can make your stool orange.

Other causes of orange poop

Rarely, poop can be orange if you have a problem with your liver that causes it to make less bile than normal, or a blockage that keeps bile from leaving the liver and entering your system. But usually, if this is the case, your poop will be pale or clay-colored.

Most of the time, poop that’s a different color from what you’re used to isn’t something to worry about. It’s rare for it to be a sign of a serious condition in your digestive system. But if it’s white, bright red, or black, and you don’t think it’s from something you ate, call your doctor.

Top Picks

Red feces – causes, diagnosis and treatment

Red feces – this is the appearance of a reddish color of stools, which is often accompanied by pain and dyspeptic disorders. The symptom occurs with hemorrhoids, severe intestinal infections, inflammatory bowel disease and malignant tumors. To determine the cause of staining excrement in red, a coprogram, colonoscopy, and contrast radiography of the digestive tract are performed. To eliminate the identified pathology, antibiotics, anesthetics, and surgical methods of therapy are prescribed.

Causes of red stool

Use of coloring foods

Most often, the appearance of red stool in adults is associated with eating large quantities of foods of the corresponding color – beets, tomatoes, berries. The reddish tint of stool is caused by artificial dyes in the composition of candy, carbonated drinks. In this case, the stool has a normal consistency, the frequency of defecation does not change. There are no other discomforts from the gastrointestinal tract. Normalization of the color of feces occurs in 1-2 days.

Hemorrhoids

Blood from dilated hemorrhoids is excreted in drops already at the onset of the disease. In this case, the feces have a normal color, but red streaks become noticeable on its surface. The frequency of stools with hemorrhoids is reduced to 3-4 times a week, which is due to reflex spasm of the muscles of the rectal sphincter. Characterized by pain in the anus, which sharply increases with defecation.

As the disease progresses and the venous nodes increase in size, hemorrhoidal bleeding becomes more frequent. The stool becomes greasy or liquid and reddish in color due to the large amount of blood. In severe situations, with ulceration of the hemorrhoidal veins, profuse bleeding begins, in which the stool loses its fecal character, bright red blood is released from the anus.

Other diseases of the rectum

The appearance of red inclusions in the stool is caused by inflammatory causes. In acute erosive proctitis, blood is released from the affected mucosa, which stains the stool. In the case of a bacterial infection, feces of a liquid consistency with abundant bloody-purulent inclusions are observed. Also, patients experience constant pain in the anal area with irradiation to the perineum and sacrum.

Red stools provoke anal fissures. They are characterized by the occurrence of severe sharp pain during defecation, then stools appear mixed with blood. Symptoms often develop with prolonged constipation, when a person has to strain hard, and dry, hard feces injure the intestinal mucosa. The formation of an anal fissure is possible in women after childbirth.

Infections

Red streaks in stools are a characteristic symptom of dysentery (shigellosis). Bacterial toxins lead to damage to the intestinal walls, from which blood is excreted. At the beginning of the disease, the stool is liquid, has a fecal character with separate bloody inclusions. In severe cases, the number of bowel movements increases to 10-12 times a day, stools are scanty in the form of mucus mixed with blood. Patients complain of severe abdominal cramps, especially in the left sections.

Abundant red stools sometimes occur at 3-4 weeks in a typical course of typhoid fever, which is associated with bleeding from a deep typhoid ulcer. Liquid mucous stools with a lot of blood in the type of “raspberry jelly” is a pathognomonic sign of amoebiasis. In addition to the reddish color of feces, severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting are disturbing. With such symptoms, emergency medical care is indicated.

Inflammatory bowel disease

In Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, deep ulcerative defects are formed that bleed. Red stool is more characteristic of UC because it causes damage to the distal intestine. Against the background of painful imperative urge to defecate, there is a release of scanty feces with impurities of scarlet blood. Exacerbations are provoked by such causes as stress, errors in diet, concomitant intestinal infections.

Neoplasms

Rarely, reddish coloration of stools is observed in colonic polyps and other benign tumors, which eventually become covered with ulcers due to constant traumatization by hard feces. The red color of feces is more common in cancerous tumors of the intestine, since they ulcerate faster and disintegrate with the involvement of blood vessels in the process. Disturbed by dull pains in the abdominal cavity, prolonged constipation, progressive weight loss.

Complications of pharmacotherapy

Stool staining is most common with long-term treatment with the anti-tuberculosis drug rifampicin. It has a red color and, when ingested, turns into metabolites, which are excreted in different ways. Therefore, not only feces acquire a reddish color, but also urine, lacrimal fluid, and sweat. Atypical staining of feces is sometimes possible with long-term use of high doses of vitamin A, which contains carotene pigments.

Diagnostics

If red stool is combined with complaints of pain and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, the patient should consult a gastroenterologist. Diagnostic search involves a comprehensive examination of the digestive system using laboratory and instrumental methods. The most informative are:

• Coprogram . To confirm the presence of blood in the feces, the Gregersen reaction is necessary. Microscopic analysis assesses the amount of undigested food, the presence of leukocytes. If infectious causes of red stools are suspected, bacteriological culture of feces on nutrient media is recommended. To diagnose UC, determine the level of fecal calprotectin.
• Endoscopy . Endoscopic examination has the greatest diagnostic value in organic diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract. To study the state of the distal colon, it is enough to prescribe sigmoidoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. Colonoscopy allows you to view the entire large intestine. During the procedure, a biopsy is taken from suspicious areas.
• X-ray method . For the purpose of a comprehensive assessment of the state of the digestive tract, radiography of the passage of barium is shown, with the help of which destructive changes in the intestine, neoplasia are revealed. If it is impossible to perform a colonoscopy, irrigography with double contrast is used to diagnose the pathology of the colon.
• Laboratory tests . In the general blood test, there are signs of anemia, the severity of which correlates with the degree of blood loss. To confirm the inflammatory cause of the appearance of red feces, a biochemical analysis and an extended immunogram are used. It is possible to establish bacterial infections in which the intestine is affected by the detection of specific antibodies in plasma.

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

Discharge of atypically colored feces, which is caused by excessive consumption of red foods and proceeds against the background of good health, does not require therapeutic measures. If the symptom is observed simultaneously with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, you need to see a doctor to find out why the red stool appeared. Intestinal bleeding requires emergency medical attention.

Conservative therapy

Medical tactics depend on the cause of red coloration of the feces. In intestinal infections, along with medications, therapeutic fasting or a sparing diet with strict restrictions is indicated; oral rehydration is recommended to correct water-salt metabolism. The purpose of drugs is aimed at eliminating the underlying pathology that caused red feces. Most commonly used:

• Antibiotics . Drugs are selected that selectively affect the bacteria of the intestinal group. For the best effect, they are combined with local antibacterial agents that act only in the intestinal lumen. In amebiasis, specific antiprotozoal drugs are indicated.
• Anesthetics . With hemorrhoids, anal fissure, pain syndrome comes to the fore, for the relief of which suppositories and ointments with local anesthetics are used. The drugs improve the well-being of patients and create conditions for the rapid healing of mucosal defects.
• Derivatives of 5-aminosalicylic acid. These drugs are essential for the treatment of UC and Crohn’s disease. They have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, stimulate the regeneration of the epithelium and the healing of intestinal ulcers. In severe forms, immunosuppressants are added to the therapy regimen.
• Plasma substitute solutions . Infusion therapy is carried out with massive intestinal bleeding to restore bcc and maintain heart function. Infused solutions contain optimal concentrations of basic electrolytes. Colloidal preparations, fresh frozen plasma are also administered.

Surgical treatment

In case of hemorrhoids, such types of surgical interventions as ligation of nodes with elastic rings, sclerotherapy, radical removal of the main internal nodes are widely used. In severe recurrent inflammatory diseases of the colon, removal of the affected part of the intestine with the formation of an anastomosis is indicated to prevent bleeding and perforation. For colon cancer, a hemicolectomy or total colectomy is performed.

Red stools – Quanta-System

Red stools are reddish stools that are often accompanied by pain and dyspeptic disorders. The symptom occurs with hemorrhoids, severe intestinal infections, inflammatory bowel disease and malignant tumors. To determine the cause of staining of feces in red, a coprogram, colonoscopy, and a contrast radiograph of the gastrointestinal tract are performed. To eliminate the identified pathology, antibiotics, painkillers and surgical methods of therapy are prescribed.

90 047 care

• Pre-diagnosis help
• Conservative therapy
• Operation

Contents

• 1 Causes of red stool
  • 1.1 Use of coloring products
  • 1.2 Hemorrhoids
  • 1. 3 Other diseases of the rectum
  • 1.4 Infections
  • 1.5 Inflammatory bowel disease
  • 1.6 Neoplasms 90 050
  • 1.7 Complications of pharmacotherapy
• 2 Diagnosis
• 3 Treatment
  • 3.1 Help before diagnosis
  • 3.2 Conservative therapy
  • 3.3 Surgical treatment

Causes of red stool

Consumption of coloring products

Most often, the appearance of red stool in adults is associated with the consumption of large amounts of food of the corresponding color: beets, tomatoes, berries. The reddish hue of the stool is caused by the artificial colors found in sweets and sodas. At the same time, the stool is of normal consistency, the frequency of bowel movements does not change. There are no other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Normalization of stool color occurs after 1-2 days.

Hemorrhoids

Blood from enlarged hemorrhoids is excreted in drops already at the onset of the disease. In this case, the feces have a normal color, but red streaks are noted on its surface. The frequency of stool with hemorrhoids is reduced to 3-4 times a week, due to reflex spasm of the rectal sphincter muscles. Characterized by pain in the anus, sharply aggravated by defecation.

As the disease progresses and the size of the venous nodes increases, hemorrhoidal bleeding becomes more frequent. The stool becomes oily or liquid and reddish in color due to the large amount of blood. In severe situations, with ulceration of the hemorrhoidal veins, profuse bleeding begins, in which the feces lose their fecal character, bright red blood is released from the anus.

Other diseases of the rectum

The appearance of red inclusions in the stool causes inflammation. In acute erosive proctitis, blood is released from the affected mucosa, which stains the stool. In the case of a bacterial infection, a liquid consistency of the stool with abundant bloody patches is observed. In addition, patients experience constant pain in the anal area during irradiation of the perineum and sacrum.

Red stool causes anal fissures. They are characterized by the occurrence of severe acute pain during defecation, so the stool is mixed with blood. Symptoms often develop with prolonged constipation, when a person has to make a lot of effort and dry, hard stools injure the intestinal mucosa. Perhaps the formation of an anal fissure in women after childbirth.

Infections

Red streaks in the stool are a characteristic symptom of dysentery (shigellosis). Bacterial toxins damage the walls of the intestines, from which blood is excreted. At the beginning of the disease, the feces are liquid, fecal in nature with single bloody inclusions. In severe cases, the number of bowel movements increases up to 10-12 times a day, defecation is difficult in the form of mucus mixed with blood. Patients complain of severe abdominal cramps, especially in the left sections.

Abundant red stools sometimes occur after 3-4 weeks in the typical course of typhoid fever, which is associated with bleeding from a deep typhoid ulcer. Liquid mucus stools with a large amount of blood of the “raspberry jelly” type is a pathognomonic sign of amoebiasis. In addition to the reddish color of the stool, there are severe pains in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting. With these symptoms, emergency medical attention is indicated.

Inflammatory bowel disease

In Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, deep ulcerative defects are formed, bleeding. Red stool is more common in NUC because it damages the distal bowel. Against the background of a painful urgent urge to defecate, there is a passage of a scanty stool with mixtures of scarlet blood. Exacerbations provoke such causes as stress, inaccuracies in nutrition, concomitant intestinal infections.

Neoplasms

Occasionally, reddish stools are seen with colon polyps and other benign tumors that ulcerate over time due to constant trauma from hard stools. The red color of the stool is more common with cancerous tumors of the intestine, as they ulcerate and disintegrate faster with involvement of the vessels in the process. Disturbed by dull pain in the abdominal cavity, prolonged constipation, progressive weight loss.

Complications of pharmacotherapy

Most often, stool staining occurs during long-term treatment with the anti-tuberculosis drug rifampicin. It has a red color and, when ingested, turns into metabolites, which are excreted in different ways. Thus, not only feces acquire a reddish color, but also urine, lacrimal fluid, and sweat. Atypical coloration of the stool is sometimes possible with long-term use of high doses of vitamin A, which contains carotene pigments.

Diagnosis

If red stools are combined with complaints of pain and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, the patient should consult a gastroenterologist. Diagnostic research involves a comprehensive examination of the digestive organs by laboratory and instrumental methods. The most informative are:

• Coprogram. To confirm the presence of blood in the stool, a Gregersen test is needed. Microscopic analysis assesses the amount of undigested food, the presence of leukocytes. If an infectious cause of red stool is suspected, bacterial culture of the stool on nutrient media is recommended. To diagnose OC, the level of calprotectin in the feces is determined.
• Endoscopy. Endoscopic examination has the greatest diagnostic value in organic diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract. To study the state of the distal colon, it is enough to prescribe sigmoidoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. A colonoscopy examines the entire large intestine. During the procedure, a biopsy is taken from suspicious areas.
• X-ray method. For the purpose of a comprehensive assessment of the state of the digestive system, an X-ray of the passage of barium is shown, with the help of which destructive changes in the intestine and neoplasms are revealed. If it is not possible to perform a colonoscopy to diagnose colon pathology, double contrast irrigation is used.
• Laboratory test. In the general blood test, signs of anemia are revealed, the severity of which is associated with the degree of blood loss. To confirm the inflammatory cause of the appearance of red stools, biochemical analysis and an expanded immunogram are used. It is possible to establish bacterial infections in which the intestine is affected by detecting specific antibodies in the plasma.

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

Discharge of atypically colored feces caused by excessive consumption of red foods and proceeding against the background of good health does not require therapeutic measures. If the symptom is observed simultaneously with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, you should consult a doctor to find out why the red stool appeared. Intestinal bleeding requires emergency medical attention.

Conservative therapy

Treatment depends on the cause of the red color of the stool. In intestinal infections, along with drugs, therapeutic fasting or a sweet diet with strict restrictions is indicated; To correct the metabolism of water salts, oral rehydration is recommended. The purpose of the drugs is aimed at eliminating the underlying pathology that caused red stools. The most commonly used are:

• Antibiotics Selected drugs that selectively affect the bacteria of the intestinal group. For the best effect, they are combined with local antibacterial agents that act only in the intestinal lumen. In amebiasis, specific antiprotozoal drugs are indicated.
• Anesthetics. With hemorrhoids, an anal fissure comes to the fore, pain, for the relief of which candles and ointments with local anesthetics are used. Medicines improve the well-being of patients and create conditions for the rapid healing of mucosal defects.
• Derivatives of 5-aminosalicylic acid. These agents are essential for the treatment of UC and Crohn’s disease. They have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, stimulate the regeneration of the epithelium and the healing of intestinal ulcers. In severe forms, immunosuppressants are added to the treatment regimen.
• Plasma Replacement Solutions.