Specialty Gastroenterology DiseasesDB 19317 | ICD-9-CM 578.1 MeSH D006471 | |
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Haematochezia (or hematochezia, from Greek αἷμα ("blood") and χέζειν ("to defaecate")) is the passage of fresh blood through the anus, usually in or with stools (contrast with melena). Haematochezia is commonly associated with lower gastrointestinal bleeding, but may also occur from a brisk upper gastrointestinal bleed. The difference between hematochezia and rectorrhagia is that, in the latter, rectal bleeding is not associated with defecation; instead, it is associated with expulsion of fresh bright red blood without stools. The phrase bright red blood per rectum (BRBPR) is associated with hematochezia and rectorrhagia. It is also important to differentiate from hematopapyrus - blood on the toilet paper noticed when wiping.
Causes
In adults, most common causes are hemorrhoids and diverticulosis, both of which are relatively benign; however, it can also be caused by colorectal cancer, which is potentially fatal. In a newborn infant, haematochezia may be the result of swallowed maternal blood at the time of delivery, but can also be an initial symptom of necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious condition affecting premature infants. In babies, haematochezia in conjunction with abdominal pain is associated with intussusception. In adolescents and young adults, inflammatory bowel disease, particularly ulcerative colitis, is a serious cause of haematochezia that must be considered and excluded.
Haematochezia can be due to upper gastrointestinal bleeding. However, as the blood from such a bleed is usually chemically modified by action of acid and enzymes, it presents more commonly as black "tarry" feces known as melena. Haematochezia from an upper gastrointestinal source is an ominous sign, as it suggests a very significant bleed which is more likely to be life-threatening.
Beeturia can cause red colored feces after eating beets because of insufficient metabolism of a red pigment, and is a differential sign that may be mistaken as haematochezia.
Consumption of dragon fruit or pitaya may also cause red discoloration of the stool and sometimes the urine (pseudohematuria). This too, is a differential sign that is sometimes mistaken for hematochezia.
In infants, the Apt test can be used to distinguish fetal hemoglobin from maternal blood.
Other common causes of blood in the stool include: