Many people want to ignore and hope for the best when they see that blood passes through or mixes with stool. Some people are scared of the sign and want to explore the causes behind it. Whatever may be the reason, we should not ignore it and should consult a doctor. When blood is present w ith stool, it is referred to as hematochezia. Blood in the stool can be bright red or dark, black and/or tarry looking that it requires a surgeon’s attention.
The causes may vary from a less serious disease like dysentery to alarming colon cancer. So, you should make it a priority to schedule an appointment with a surgeon. If colon cancer is diagnosed in the earliest stages, survival rates are well over 90 percent. If the cancer is more advanced and has spread beyond the colon, survival rate drops dramatically. The sooner you get a diagnosis the better.
The most common cause of visible blood in the stools in the adult is haemorrhoids (commonly known as piles) and fissure. Other conditions and situations that can cause blood in the stools include colon cancer, non-cancerous growths such as polyps, intestinal infections that can be caused by food-borne pathogens, inflammatory bowel diseases, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen, recent trauma (for example, blood in the stools can occur after colonoscopy examination which only lasts a day or two), etc.