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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. [2]
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]
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]
The same is true when your stool is a paler-than-normal color—it doesn’t usually happen randomly. ... (Find out the 9 most common reasons why your poop is black.)
Esophagitis, esophageal varices, gastritis, cirrhosis or gastric ulcers for example, may bleed and produce coffee-ground vomitus. When unaccompanied by melena, hematemesis or a fall in hemoglobin with corresponding urea rises and creates an unstable reaction, and other causes of coffee ground vomitus need to be elucidated; for example, gastric stasis, bowel obstruction or ileus, that can cause ...
Mucus in stool can sometimes be a symptom of colon cancer, says Dr. Shanker-Patel. However, mucus in stool is just one of a number of symptoms that might be observed in cases of colon cancer.
Myiasis (/ m aɪ. ˈ aɪ. ə. s ə s / my-EYE-ə-səss [1]), also known as flystrike or fly strike, is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae that grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue.
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