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Digested blood from the upper gastrointestinal tract may appear black rather than red, resulting in "coffee ground" vomit or melena. [2] Other signs and symptoms include feeling tired, dizziness, and pale skin color. [18] A number of foods and medications can turn the stool either red or black in the absence of bleeding. [2]
Melena is a form of blood in stool which refers to the dark black, tarry feces that are commonly associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. [1] The black color and characteristic strong odor are caused by hemoglobin in the blood being altered by digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria.
Common side effects include vomiting, black stools, diarrhea, and constipation. [1] A more serious side effect, pneumonitis, may result if aspirated into the lungs. [1] [2] Gastrointestinal obstruction and ileus are less common but serious adverse effects. [1] Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is generally safe. [3]
Blood in stool looks different depending on how early it enters the digestive tract—and thus how much digestive action it has been exposed to—and how much there is. The term can refer either to melena, with a black appearance, typically originating from upper gastrointestinal bleeding; or to hematochezia, with a red color, typically originating from lower gastrointestinal bleeding. [6]
Apart from physical status, medical, drug, family and social history rule out unrelated diseases and give direction to further tests. [3] Reviewing medical history enables screening for causative diseases, such as hepatobiliary diseases , hepatitis and virus infections while drug history reflects toxin exposure and drug-use-enhanced liver ...
Acute esophageal necrosis (AEN), black esophagus, or Gurvits syndrome is a rare esophageal disorder. AEN defines itself with dark pigmentation of the esophagus , found during an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy . [ 2 ]
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Eating beetroot can cause harmless red-colored feces because of insufficient metabolism of a red pigment, and is a differential sign that may be mistaken as hematochezia. Consumption of dragon fruit or blackberries may also cause red or black discoloration of the stool and sometimes the urine (pseudohematuria). This too, is a differential sign ...