Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMeaningCauses of Black BloodCauses of Red BloodOther CausesWhen to See a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Meaning
Causes of Black Blood
Causes of Red Blood
Other Causes
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If your poop seems to have red or black blood in it, it could be a sign of a medical problem. It’s also possible the color could be due to something you ate.
Foods with artificial colors are a common culprit. Certain supplements, like iron, may also cause discolored stools.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
What Does Blood in Stool Mean?
Blood in the stool occurs when you havebleeding along the gastrointestinal tract. If blood looks red, the bleeding is lower in the digestive tract, such as in the colon or rectum. If the blood is black, it’s a sign that the bleeding is further up the GI tract, such as in the stomach or small intestine.
Causes of Black Blood in Stool
If you have melena, your doctor may order afecal occult blood test. This will help determine how much blood is in your stool.
The following conditions affect the upper GI tract so they may cause black blood in the stool.
Bleeding Ulcer
An ulcer is a sore anywhere along the lining of the stomach or intestine. Ulcers can sometimes bleed.
Ulcers usually have one of two causes:
Gastritis
Gastritisis an inflammation of the stomach lining. It can have various causes, including:
Certain medical conditions can also lead to gastritis. These include:
Bleeding in the Esophagus
A few medical conditions can cause bleeding in the esophagus. These include:
Gastric Cancer
Stomach (gastric) cancercan cause tarry black stools along with symptoms like weight loss, vomiting, abdominal pain, and difficulty swallowing. While it isn’t clear what causes gastric cancer, some of the risk factors include:
Causes of Red Blood in the Stool
Red- or maroon-colored stool that contains blood is calledhematochezia. The brighter color is because the blood is coming from lower in the digestive tract, like the colon or the rectum.
Red blood in the stool can have a number of medical causes.Always see your healthcare provider if you find blood in your stool. It is important to find the cause of the bleeding.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are a common source of bright red blood in the stool or on toilet paper. These are enlarged veins in the rectal area that may burst and bleed.
Anal Fissure
An anal fissure is a tear or ulcer in the lining of the anal canal. The anal canal is the last part of the rectum before the anus.
Anyone can get fissures, but they are most common in middle-aged people and young adults.
Fissures can cause bright red bleeding. They usually heal with home care.
Colon Polyps and Colon Cancer
Colon polypscan also cause red blood in the stool. Polyps are growths on the inside of the colon. Sometimes they can turn into colon cancer.Colon cancer may also cause blood in the stool.
Blood from these sources is not always visible in or on the stool. Blood that isn’t visible is called occult blood.
A fecal occult blood test looks for this kind of blood. This test may be done to screen for colon cancer.
Digestive Disorders
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a set of conditions that cause inflammation of the bowel. These conditions can cause bleeding in the digestive tract.BothCrohn’s diseaseof the colon and ulcerative colitis can cause bloody stool, often with diarrhea.
Diverticular diseasecan also cause red blood in the stool. Diverticula are pouches that form in the wall of the colon. People with this condition may have large amounts of blood in the stool.
Other Causes of Discolored Stools
Some of the things that can cause false melena, or black stools, include:
Some foods with natural or artificial coloring may cause red stools. These include:
This is true even when you already have a diagnosis of IBD or another chronic illness. Blood in the stool may mean your treatment needs to be changed.
See a healthcare provider if:You have changes in color, odor, or frequency of stools.You can’t think of any food or supplements that could explain the color change.The color change lasts a few days.You have other symptoms, like diarrhea, constipation, weakness, or dizziness.If you have obvious blood in the stool or are passing blood with no stool, see a healthcare provider at once. If there is extreme pain and blood loss, go to the emergency room or call 911.
See a healthcare provider if:
If you have obvious blood in the stool or are passing blood with no stool, see a healthcare provider at once. If there is extreme pain and blood loss, go to the emergency room or call 911.
Summary
Stomach problems like ulcers and gastritis may cause black stools. Bleeding in the esophagus can also cause this.
Always see a healthcare provider if you notice blood in your stool.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Roath MC, Di Palma JA.Correspondence: cefdinir and red stool.Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;9(6):338.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Stomach (gastric) cancer.Ghassemi KA, Jensen DM.Lower GI bleeding: epidemiology and management.Curr Gastroenterol Rep.2013;15(7):333. doi:10.1007/s11894-013-0333-5Kim BS, Li BT, Engel A, et al.Diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding: a practical guide for clinicians.World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol.2014;5(4):467-78. doi:10.4291/wjgp.v5.i4.467National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GI bleeding. Reviewed July 2016.El-Radhi AS.The abdomen. In:Avoiding Misdiagnosis in Pediatric Practice. Springer, Cham; 2021. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-41750-5_6Additional ReadingJohns Hopkins Medicine.Gastrointestinal bleeding or blood in the stool.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Roath MC, Di Palma JA.Correspondence: cefdinir and red stool.Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;9(6):338.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Stomach (gastric) cancer.Ghassemi KA, Jensen DM.Lower GI bleeding: epidemiology and management.Curr Gastroenterol Rep.2013;15(7):333. doi:10.1007/s11894-013-0333-5Kim BS, Li BT, Engel A, et al.Diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding: a practical guide for clinicians.World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol.2014;5(4):467-78. doi:10.4291/wjgp.v5.i4.467National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GI bleeding. Reviewed July 2016.El-Radhi AS.The abdomen. In:Avoiding Misdiagnosis in Pediatric Practice. Springer, Cham; 2021. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-41750-5_6Additional ReadingJohns Hopkins Medicine.Gastrointestinal bleeding or blood in the stool.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Roath MC, Di Palma JA.Correspondence: cefdinir and red stool.Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;9(6):338.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Stomach (gastric) cancer.Ghassemi KA, Jensen DM.Lower GI bleeding: epidemiology and management.Curr Gastroenterol Rep.2013;15(7):333. doi:10.1007/s11894-013-0333-5Kim BS, Li BT, Engel A, et al.Diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding: a practical guide for clinicians.World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol.2014;5(4):467-78. doi:10.4291/wjgp.v5.i4.467National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GI bleeding. Reviewed July 2016.El-Radhi AS.The abdomen. In:Avoiding Misdiagnosis in Pediatric Practice. Springer, Cham; 2021. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-41750-5_6
Roath MC, Di Palma JA.Correspondence: cefdinir and red stool.Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;9(6):338.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Stomach (gastric) cancer.
Ghassemi KA, Jensen DM.Lower GI bleeding: epidemiology and management.Curr Gastroenterol Rep.2013;15(7):333. doi:10.1007/s11894-013-0333-5
Kim BS, Li BT, Engel A, et al.Diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding: a practical guide for clinicians.World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol.2014;5(4):467-78. doi:10.4291/wjgp.v5.i4.467
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GI bleeding. Reviewed July 2016.
El-Radhi AS.The abdomen. In:Avoiding Misdiagnosis in Pediatric Practice. Springer, Cham; 2021. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-41750-5_6
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Gastrointestinal bleeding or blood in the stool.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Gastrointestinal bleeding or blood in the stool.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.
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