Blood in my stool

I recently noticed bright red blood in my stool after defaecation. Kindly advise me on this.

Jerom (by SMS)

Bright red blood in stool means there’s bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract very close to your anus. The difference between seeing a bright red blood and a dark red one is that the bright red blood is due to bleeding that is very close to the anus while the dark red one will be caused by something higher up in the digestive system.

Sometimes, the amount of blood is so small that it can only be detected by a fecal occult test (which checks for hidden blood in stool). At other times, it may be visible on toilet tissue or in the toilet after a bowel movement. Possible causes of blood in stool include: Hemorrhoids. Also known as piles, hemorrhoids are the most common cause of bloody stool. These are swollen veins inside your bottom, which sometimes cause the skin in that area to break and bleed.

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It’s caused by activities such as straining to poop (constipation) or heavy lifting. An itching bottom or pain can be a sign of hemorrhoids. Anal fissure. This is a small cut or tear in the tissue lining the anus similar to the cracks that occur in chapped lips or a paper cut. Fissures are often caused by passing a large, hard stool and can be painful. Personal management will involve making sure to avoid constipation which may worsen the problem.

The use of suppositories will also help to shrink the haemorrhoids. If these efforts fail, a medical consultation for proper evaluation will be necessary.