Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Hematochezia Information (Ischemic Colitis)

Ischemic Colitis

Hematochezia or blood could be caused by harmless conditions like hemorrhoids or serious ailments like cancer. Hematochezia or rectal bleeding refers to the passage of blood in the stools. Most rectal bleeding originates from the anus, colon or rectum.

Hematochezia is the presence of bright red, fresh blood in the feces. Hematochezia usually occurs with bleeding in the lower intestines (colon, rectum). Hematochezia should not be confused with melena , which is the passage of dark, tarry, black feces. Melena represents the passage of old, digested blood that has occurred with bleeding higher up in the intestinal tract.

The color of the blood depends more on the site of origin of the bleeding. The closer the bleeding site to the anus, the brighter is the color of the blood. Thus, bleeding from the anus, rectum, and the sigmoid colon tend to be bright red, whereas bleeding from the transverse colon and the right colon tend to be dark red or maroon colored. In some patients bleeding can be black and “tarry” (sticky) and foul smelling.

Ischemic Colitis

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