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A complete blood count as well as an hemoglobin test should be performed when a patient presents symptoms of hematochezia. A colonoscopy may be necessary if there is suspicion of bleed from colon particularly in the elderly to look for the site and many causes of bleed like carcinoma, ulcerative colitis, rectal varices or other lesions and in certain instances upper gastrointestinal endoscopy ...
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]
As in the related condition TTP, reduced blood flow through the narrowed blood vessels of the microvasculature leads to reduced blood flow to vital organs, and ischemia may develop. [11] The kidneys and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) are the parts of the body most critically dependent on high blood flow, and are thus the ...
Shigella results in about 165 million cases of diarrhea and 1.1 million deaths a year with nearly all cases in the developing world. [5] In areas with poor sanitation nearly half of cases of diarrhea are due to Entamoeba histolytica. [6] Entamoeba histolytica affects millions of people and results in more than 55,000 deaths a year. [12]
The word diarrhea is from the Ancient Greek διάρροια from διά dia "through" and ῥέω rheo "flow". Diarrhea is the spelling in American English, whereas diarrhoea is the spelling in British English. Slang terms for the condition include "the runs", "the squirts" (or "squits" in Britain [13]) and "the trots". [14] [15]
Shigellosis, known historically as dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by Shigella bacteria. [1] [3] Symptoms generally start one to two days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and feeling the need to pass stools even when the bowels are empty. [1]
The blood comes from bleeding lesions created by the amoebae invading the lining of the colon. In about 10% of invasive cases the amoebae enter the bloodstream and may travel to other organs in the body. Most commonly this means the liver, [10] as this is where blood from the intestine reaches first, but they can end up almost anywhere in the body.
In chronic diarrhea there is no evidence of blood in the stool and there is no sign of infection. The condition may be related to irritable bowel syndrome. [1] There are various tests that can be performed to rule out other causes of diarrhea that don't fall under the chronic criteria, including blood test, colonoscopy, and even genetic testing.