How to check if there is blood in stool?

There are four kinds of examinations: fecal occult blood test, anal finger examination, electronic anoscope and colonoscopy.

There are two main kinds of blood in stool. Blood in the stool visible to the naked eye is called dominant blood in the stool, such as blood in the stool or black stool, while blood in the stool is invisible to the naked eye. No matter what kind of bloody stool, it may be a sign of anorectal diseases, which needs our attention.

Let's introduce these four inspection methods in detail:

Stool occult blood test

Stool occult blood test

When the amount of bleeding in our digestive tract is small, red blood cells will be digested and decomposed, and the feces will be bloodless to the naked eye, which is difficult to find by microscopic examination. At this time, it is necessary to check the trace blood in feces by chemical or immunological methods to help check whether there are digestive tract diseases. Patients with positive fecal occult blood test also need colonoscopy.

rectal touch

rectal touch

This examination method is the simplest and most important in anorectal examination. Don't underestimate the magical power of a finger. It can be said that the rectum within 8 cm from the anus is its "jurisdiction". Some common diseases, such as hemorrhoids, rectal polyps and low rectal cancer, can also be examined by this method.

Electronic anoscope

Electronic anoscope

Electronic anoscope is more advanced than traditional anoscope, and its body is soft and delicate. The high-definition probe is only 5 mm, but the definition is several times higher than that of the traditional anoscope, and the inspection is more accurate. Moreover, the painless inspection technology is adopted, and the inspection process is very short, which can be completed in 3-5 minutes. Patients can follow the examination without affecting their work and life.

enteroscope

enteroscope

What is colonoscopy? It is a slender flexible hose with lights, cameras, pliers, flushing and inflating devices in front. After entering the intestine from the anus, the camera transmits the internal image to the computer screen, and the lesion can be seen very clearly. Colonoscopy is a magical device, which can not only "detect" diseases, but also treat some diseases, such as direct hemostasis and polypectomy.

At the same time, the bleeding point position is different, in fact, the situation is also different:

Anal bleeding is a common cause of hematochezia. Hemorrhoids can cause a small amount of bright red blood on the surface of stool and toilet paper. This kind of bleeding is mainly due to the passage of hard stool through the anus, which damages the venous congestion caused by hemorrhoids. The amount of bleeding is not much, and there are often a few drops of blood.

Anal fissure and anal fistula are two other common diseases around anus, which can cause a small amount of blood drops after defecation, usually accompanied by severe pain during or after defecation, and can also be seen as recurrent pus, redness and heat pain of anal fistula. One thing to note is that anal disease is not the only cause of hematochezia, so we must do relevant tests to investigate.

The bleeding point is in the colorectal segment, that is, the "large intestine" we heard, which is the site with high incidence of cancer. Colorectal cancer is one of the common causes of hematochezia, and foreign statistics account for about 30% ~ 50% of hematochezia cases, especially the elderly. In addition to bloody stool, colorectal cancer may also cause discomfort such as lower abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, thin stool, mucus in stool, and anemia symptoms such as emaciation and dizziness may occur in the late stage.

Intestinal polyps are also a common cause of hematochezia, especially among children and adolescents. The bleeding amount of intestinal polyps is generally small, often a small amount of blood adheres to the surface of feces, and there are no other symptoms. Most intestinal polyps can be removed under colonoscopy without hospitalization or surgery.

Colonic vascular dysplasia, also known as colonic vasodilation, is a common cause of acute or chronic hematochezia in the elderly over 60 years old, but occasionally a small amount of hematochezia does not need special treatment. If the amount of bleeding is large, the bleeding should be stopped under the endoscope.

Acute and chronic enteritis is also a common cause of hematochezia. Patients with chronic colitis will also have diarrhea, stomachache and other discomfort, as well as emaciation, low fever and other conditions, and some will also have symptoms such as depression. Acute enteritis, such as dysentery and amebiasis, is generally caused by unclean diet, and bloody stool may also occur, accompanied by diarrhea.

The bleeding point is in the small intestine, which is the longest organ in the human body, about four or five meters long. A large amount of hematochezia comes from small intestine, and the most common is small intestine tumor, which is slightly less malignant than benign, accounting for about 2.5% of the whole intestinal tumor. Hemorrhage is usually the first and only symptom of small intestinal tumors. Elderly patients with small intestinal tumor complicated with hemorrhage should be alert to the possibility of malignant tumor.

Finally, a reminder, no matter what, don't judge for yourself, let alone take drugs casually. You must go to the hospital for routine examination, and then proceed to the next treatment according to the diagnosis.