Possible Causes of Black Stool

There are lots of factors that stools might appear black or tarry with a nasty smell, consisting of eating certain foods or taking iron supplements. However, black stools can likewise be a result of bleeding, and the darker color suggests that the blood could be coming from a point in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

What should the feces of a healthy person be like?

The feces are formed from the chyme (food lump) as a result of its enzymatic processing. The quality of food transformation and digestion depends on the activity of digestion, which includes many factors (activity of GI secretion, motility, composition of the diet). Stool formation is completed in the intestine. After complete processing, the stool masses leave the body in the form of shaped elements of different shades of brown (yellowish to dark brown). Normal stools should be regular and daily (from 2 times a day to once every 2 days).

If you change your diet and eating habits, excessive amounts of certain foods, or eat exotic foods, the parameters of the stool change. There may be changes in color, consistency, smell, the appearance of a small amount of undigested particles, which is considered normal. These phenomena are caused by the peculiarities of digestion of certain products.

Serious changes in color and consistency may indicate malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, insufficient production of digestive juices (hydrochloric acid, pancreatic juice, bile), imbalanced intestinal microflora. Examination administered by a gastroenterologist helps to determine the causes; first of all, co-program (detailed stool analysis) provides a lot of information.

Too dark feces is a deviation from the physiological norm. The symptom requires close attention and a detailed study of why the feces are black. It is important to rule out life-threatening causes as soon as possible.

Black Stool: Why It’s Happen

In most cases, the color of feces, particularly in liquid stools, becomes too dark as a result of the development of gastrointestinal diseases. In order to understand the cause of this and take steps to overcome the disease, you should immediately after identifying discomfort symptoms go to the hospital. The following article details why black liquid stools can appear, what are the dangerous causes of black diarrhea, if diarrhea is black or dark in color. How to treat black diarrhea, what are the most effective methods of treatment of black diarrhea at home from folk methods of treatment, and when the treatment of diarrhea should be entrusted to a doctor specialist. Black diarrhea, when the liquid stool became black in color, can be the cause of many dangerous diseases or other health problems, so it is very important to know when it is necessary to call a doctor when black diarrhea appears, and when to call emergency medical assistance.

It should be noted that there are a number of conditions in which a person is accompanied by black diarrhea. To be able to adequately assess their well-being, every adult should know what color of feces is normal for a healthy body and what changes in its characteristics (consistency, color, odor) indicate the need for medical help.

Causes of Black Stool

The main causes of stool color changes are as follows:

• Consumption of specific products;
• Taking medications;
• side effects of certain medications;
• Development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Below we will consider the peculiarities of the manifestation of the symptom for each of the reasons listed.

How food changes the color of feces

The first thing to consider is when the black color of feces is not a dangerous symptom. Darkening of feces is most often associated with the consumption of special types of food, which either directly stain the stool or change its properties during digestion. Stools may become unusually dark after consuming the following foods:

• table beets;
• Dark berries (blackberries, currants, blueberries)
• prunes;
• grapes;
• strong coffee and tea;
• pomegranate;
• tomatoes;
• mild to medium-fried meat;
• liver.

Against the background of the use of these products darkened stools are observed after 1-2 days. The symptom persists for 1 to 3 days. After exclusion of the product, the stool takes on its normal color.

As a rule, the blackening of the faeces is not accompanied by a sharp change in the consistency of the stool, the excrement remains formed. If there is an abundance of provocative products, laxative or constipation may develop. If the dark color of the stool is due to the presence of specific products or dishes in the menu, the general condition of the patient does not change and there are no other complaints.

What medications can change the color of the stools

Certain medications can provoke a change in stool color, up to completely black. The fact is that in the process of moving through the digestive tract, medications are exposed to digestive juices. This can affect the properties of the pharmacologically active substances. Blackening of stools is observed when the following groups of drugs are taken:

• anti-anemic (iron-based remedies);
• Encapsulating (bismuth preparations, such as De-Nol);
• vitamin and mineral complexes (with iron in the composition).

If the symptom is provoked by a medication, there is nothing to worry about. Soon after cancellation of the medication, the stool acquires its usual coloring. It is advisable to read the instructions and make sure that the drug is able to change the color of feces. It is necessary to take into account that there should be no manifestations (other than symptoms of the underlying disease).

Activated charcoal and preparations based on it are able to give the feces a black color. The staining is due to the elimination of the substance from the body in unchanged form. As a rule, a day after the cancellation of the drug, the color of feces becomes normal.

Side effects of medications

The cause of the black stool can be caused by taking medications that can provoke internal bleeding. These include:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• Acetylsalicylic acid-based antiaggregants;
• Certain antibiotics.

In this case, other physical characteristics of the stool (consistency, frequency), as well as the general well-being of the patient may change. Signs of internal blood loss are weakness, drowsiness, pale skin, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, etc.

If a person has recently taken medications of the above groups and stools suddenly turn dark, it is necessary to see a doctor in the nearest future. In order to diagnose internal bleeding an additional examination will be appointed, since such a situation requires emergency assistance.

If black stool appeared not because of physiological reasons, but because of bleeding, there can be many complications and unpleasant consequences without medical attention.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a life- and health-threatening condition. Complications after the appearance of black feces:

• Hemorrhagic shock. This is a severe body condition that develops due to extensive blood loss. In hemorrhagic shock, the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm, a fall . At a blood loss of more than 50%, irreversible hemorrhagic shock and complete loss of consciousness develop.
• Anemia can also develop with small but constant blood loss. Symptoms of anemia: pale skin, chronic fatigue, dizziness, headache, tinnitus.
• Acute renal failure. With blood loss, the kidneys (one or both) can stop performing their function due to insufficient blood flow, which leads to serious disorders of protein metabolism in the body.
• Death. The most dangerous and undesirable consequence. Attempts to treat bleeding on their own, lack of medical attention, and severe damage to the stomach can lead to the worst possible outcome.

Treatment of bleeding in the gastrointestinal organs requires bed rest, complete rest. If the source of the bleeding is identified, it is advisable to put an ice compress on the area.

For which diseases black stools turn black

The most dangerous variant is black stool as a symptom of a developing disease. It indicates internal bleeding at the level of the esophagus, stomach or initial sections of the large intestine. Much less frequently, blood enters the digestive tract from diseases of the ENT organs and respiratory system. This situation is caused by the transformation of blood hemoglobin into hemin under the influence of gastric hydrochloric acid. Black feces in a person indicates a rather massive blood loss (more than 60 ml), so it is mandatory to see a doctor.

Bleeding stools change not only in color but also in consistency. Excrement becomes unformed, viscous and sticky, resembling tar. The symptom may accompany the following pathologies:

• acute erosive esophagitis;
• periarteritis nodosa;
• rupture of an aortic aneurysm into the lumen of the small intestine;
• gastritis;
• Gastric and 12 duodenal ulcers;
• Mallory-Weiss syndrome;
• gastric tumors;
• hemorrhagic fever;
• typhoid fever;
• Dengue fever;
• hemophilia;
• thrombocytopenia;
• ankylostomiasis;
• histoplasmosis;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• acute lymphoblastic leukemia, etc.

Dangerous forms of internal bleeding are accompanied by nausea and vomiting (with scarlet or coffee-colored masses), general weakness, decreased blood pressure, pulse rate. Internal bleeding during infectious diseases is accompanied by increased body temperature, sweating, chills.

If one of these diseases is present or if black stools are combined with a general worsening of the condition, it is necessary to seek immediate medical attention.

Black stool in a child – normal or abnormal?

Diseases that cause internal bleeding are rarely diagnosed in children. Serious health problems are indicated by the presence of other symptoms (fever, abdominal pain, weakness, vomiting, etc.) In such situations, medical attention should be sought without delay.

In most cases the darkening of children’s stools is due to the particular diet or the use of medications. Due to decreased enzyme activity there may be incomplete digestion of certain foods and a change in their color as a result of interaction with digestive juices. An example would be parents worrying about small black fibers in the stool, which are often mistaken for parasites. In fact, these are particles of banana that have not been fully digested.

Black, greenish stools in newborns are normal. It is meconium or intestinal contents that were formed during intrauterine development. When mother’s milk or baby formula is consumed, the feces take on the color typical of infants (mustard, light brown or yellowish).

There is no need to worry about the color of the stool in cases where the child is taking a multivitamin complex or iron preparations. A change in stool color in this situation is also normal.

Black stools in pregnancy

Any suspicion of hemorrhage during bleeding poses a potential threat to the mother and the baby. Therefore, it is advisable for a woman who is carrying a baby to consult her doctor with any questions or concerns.

However, black stool during pregnancy is not always a sign of bleeding and serious illness. As a rule, pregnant women are examined for prevention, but most often the cause of black stool is a hormonal change. At the beginning of pregnancy, a woman’s body begins to restructure, for this reason, women often have various organ disorders.

During pregnancy, the color of stool may change due to increased levels of . It is this hormone that also affects the frequency, mood swings, nausea, etc.

In the case of bleeding black feces is only an initial symptom, after some time appears and other disorders that will be reflected in , regular during pregnancy.

Be sure to consult a doctor if black stool in a pregnant woman is accompanied by fever, severe weakness, pallor, cold sweats, nausea and vomiting.

Sometimes black stools are a consequence of the pregnant woman’s treatment for constipation. Because of the reduced tone of the smooth muscles, constipation can plague a pregnant woman from the first trimester. Constipation often leads to hemorrhoids and other troubles, so women begin to actively fight it with home remedies: eating prunes, drinking compotes of dried fruit, eating more vegetables and fruits, grapes, currants, blueberries. As a result, constipation goes away, but there are black stools stained by these products. In this case, it is enough to remember your diet and reduce the consumption of black berries and fruits.

Sometimes during pregnancy also appear diarrhea, poisoning, which the woman is treated with relatively safe activated charcoal. And he is also known to stain the feces. Despite the fact that most often black feces during pregnancy – a normal phenomenon, it is better to be reassured and have an examination.

Various parameters form an idea of the state of the human body. Among them are the composition, consistency, color and smell of feces. These characteristics have been taken into account for centuries in the treatment of intestinal disorders. In case the diarrhea has turned black (a phenomenon called “melena”), it is urgent to look for the causes of such transformations. Harmless reasons that cause feces to turn black, or “false melena”, are the consumption of colorful foods, activated charcoal, etc.

Stool color and health

The amount of liquid in the stool affects the shape and density of the stool. The formation of the brown color peculiar to the feces of a healthy person, contribute to the products of bile metabolism, in particular – stercobilin. Acquisition stools of a healthy person of other colors is possible only in the case of certain medicines, foods with strong dyes or changes in eating habits. For example, lovers of milk or dairy products have lighter, sometimes yellowish stools.

With frequent consumption of plant foods, the coloration approaches the borders of green or red. Those who like to eat meat may observe a change in stool color to a darker side. The same tendency is characteristic of diseases of the stomach and large intestine. Stool takes on a dark, almost black, color if bismuth enters the body.

Causes of black diarrhea and what to do

Stool staining darker than usual color, changing its consistency to a more liquid side, as a rule, is caused by inflammatory processes in the intestines. Such disorders affect digestive disorders. Colitis does not occur alone, and accompanied by irritation of the mucous membranes of the intestine, often turning into an ulcer. This causes impaired peristalsis, stools move slowly, undigested food lingers in the intestine for a long time. The patient suffers from diarrhea, which is dark brown in color. The cause of the opposite – the acquisition of liquid feces lighter shades, is the deficiency in the feces of bile enzymes, resulting in impaired digestion of food. Stools of a light brown color are usually considered in vegetarians, this is explained by their habitual diet, which excludes animal products. Changes in the color of stool mass, as well as clear signs of intestinal diseases require mandatory medical intervention. When making a diagnosis, first of all, attention is paid to the clinical symptoms and the results of stool analysis.

If there are inflammatory processes in the intestine, anti-inflammatory therapy measures are applied. This may occur as an outpatient or inpatient. Accelerating the improvement of the patient’s condition contributes to a properly chosen therapeutic diet and phytotherapy. During exacerbation, it is strongly recommended to exclude fatty, smoked and salty foods from the diet. After treatment, it is important to monitor the diet and its composition, to prevent a relapse of the disease. Additionally, antibacterial therapy is carried out, and the patient is also prescribed drugs, the action of which is aimed at the rehabilitation of the intestinal microflora, damaged by the disease and the intake of medications.

Black diarrhea as a sign of illness, what diseases can it be?

The sudden onset of black diarrhea in most cases indicates a digestive system malfunction accompanied by bleeding. Too dark diarrhea appears with ulcerative processes in the intestine, especially in the duodenum. It may also be caused by neoplasms or varicose veins in the stomach. Black diarrhea indicates inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines, as well as histoplasmosis. If the focus of the pathology is localized under the cecum, the feces take on a reddish tint.

With weak intestinal peristalsis, the blackening of the feces is explained by the transformation of hemoglobin by hydrochloric acid contained in the stomach into hemin, which has a black color. It should be remembered that with internal bleeding, in addition to black diarrhea, the patient will suffer from its other serious manifestations. If the pathogenic focus is in the stomach, bloody vomiting resembling dark coffee grounds will also appear. After such vomiting, the patient has low blood pressure, suffers from dizziness and a feeling of general weakness. Skin and mucous membranes become pale, tachycardia begins. In case of severe heart failure with simultaneous bleeding, the patient needs immediate qualified medical help.

If the feces of black color has normal consistency and other characteristics corresponding to normal parameters, no reason to worry can be looked for. Dangerous are situations in which such a phenomenon is complemented by pain in the abdomen or directly in the stomach, nausea or vomiting, discomfort under the ribs (right or left), high fever.

How to treat black diarrhea, what to do if black diarrhea appeared?

Liquid feces may not be completely black, but may have black dots or flecks. In some situations, these are particles of undigested food (poppy, flaxseed, berry or fruit peels, etc.). It is noteworthy that bananas can be the cause of such inclusions in the feces. If the darkening of the feces occurs as a result of eating certain foods or medicines, the painful signs will disappear when you stop taking them. If black diarrhea is accompanied by other discomfort or painful symptoms, including nausea, abdominal cramps and bloating, alternating diarrhea and constipation, you need to contact a qualified specialist to determine the cause of the deterioration of the patient’s condition.

Diarrhea is an unpleasant phenomenon and in some cases very dangerous. Especially strong concern is caused by liquid black stools in an adult. You only have to guess about the causes. Does the black color indicate internal bleeding, and is it necessary to call an ambulance? How to help a person with diarrhea? Let’s talk about harmless symptoms and alarming ones, as well as how to act correctly in such a situation.

Taking antibiotics

Sometimes after taking antibiotics, patients complain of a change in the color of the discharge.

Indeed, when taking some drugs, such as Metronidazole and Trichopol, there is a significant darkening of the stool.

This always indicates the presence of bleeding, so it is not directly related to the use of the antibiotic.

So darkening of the usual color of feces after using the drug is a variant of the norm, but black feces is already a dangerous sign. It is not directly caused by the antibiotic, but can be provoked by a whole group of factors.

In any case, the patient needs a qualitative diagnosis.

After activated charcoal, particles of undigested substance get into food products. It easily stains the feces and may cause anxiety to the patient. But it is not dangerous, because the charcoal is inert and is an active sorbent, that is, it absorbs toxic substances and is not digested.

In this case, the color of the feces does not matter.

Very dark feces observed after surgery is an alarming sign. It indicates the presence of internal bleeding, which can be caused by the separation of stitches, the emergence of a new focus of disease, medications taken and many other things.

Intake of alcohol can cause poisoning and internal bleeding.

Most often, the membranes of the esophagus and stomach are affected. If the lesions are minor, in the form of small ulcers, blood is released slowly, and the patient feels no dangerous symptoms, except a strong hangover. The next day, dark feces appear.

The condition, in which the color of the feces changes, can be very dangerous to the health and life of the person. Internal bleeding without marked pain worsens the patient’s condition, with the patient’s abdomen filling up with leaked blood.

Both sluggish and profuse bleeding are dangerous. It can cause inflammation, peritonitis, and can be fatal. The patient loses a lot of blood.

Antibiotics and black stools

Antibiotics do not have the property of staining the stool black. Some antibiotics can cause stools to darken considerably, but not to black. For example, common antibiotics such as Trichopol (Metronidazole, Metrogil, etc.) or Flexid can make the feces very dark.

It is usually described in the antibiotic’s package leaflet whether or not it can stain the stools darker. Keep in mind, however, that antibiotics can make stools very dark brown, but not black. Most often the question about black feces against the background of taking antibiotics is asked by people who are treating peptic ulcer disease of the stomach. The fact is that in the complex treatment of peptic ulcer along with antibiotics drugs against heartburn are used, such as De-Nol, Novbismol etc. And these medicines contain bismuth compounds, which can stain the feces exactly black. Therefore, if a person along with antibiotics also takes bismuth preparations or vitamins with iron, black stools are normal. And in this situation it is the drugs containing bismuth or iron that stain the stool black, not the antibiotics.

If against the background of isolated administration of antibiotics without combination with drugs containing bismuth or iron, a black stool is observed, it is worth seeing a doctor. This condition may be caused by gastrointestinal bleeding. In this case, the black stool is caused by bleeding, and not by taking antibiotics. This means that there is a coincidence of the two events, between which there is no cause-and-effect relationship.

What should I do if my feces turn black?

A black stool in an adult or child should not be a cause for panic. This phenomenon can be dealt with independently in several steps:

• It is necessary to analyze the condition of the person at the moment. If there are alarming symptoms – call an ambulance or take to the hospital by your own efforts.
• If the patient stays at home, it is necessary to ask him or to remember independently the features of health in the past few weeks (whether there were any symptoms, whether diseases were detected, whether treatment with medication was carried out). If the answer is yes, you need to go to the clinic. If the person felt and feels normal, you can go to the next step.
• Find out what medications the patient takes on a regular basis or has taken recently. If medications that can provoke internal bleeding are used, you should see a doctor. If the person has not taken any medications, you can go to the next step.
• Analyze the patient’s diet for the last 2-3 days (whether there were changes in the diet, whether unusual dishes, spices, drinks were introduced, whether products from the list of specific products were consumed). If the connection with the diet is confirmed, the provoking product should be excluded and the stool should be expected to normalize within 1-3 days.

Stopping bleeding begins with drug therapy. Drugs that increase blood clotting are indicated, food intake is restricted, and drinking cold water is recommended. If conservative hemostasis is ineffective, laparotomy and surgical stopping of bleeding is indicated.

Subsequently, basic therapy aimed at preventing recurrence of bleeding is carried out. For peptic ulcer disease, antimicrobial and antisecretory drugs are prescribed; for hemorrhoids, venotonics; for anal fissures, wound healing agents, etc. For some pathologies, the only method of prevention is surgery – removal of polyps, tumors, excision of nonhealing anal fissures, etc. One of the most frequent complications of gastrointestinal bleeding is a decrease in hemoglobin levels. Therefore, antianemic therapy is carried out for at least 1 month. In hemorrhagic shock it is shown to replenish the lost blood volume, correction of the functions of vital organs, etc.

When do I need to see a doctor urgently?

Against the background of black stools, the following symptoms should not be ignored:

• intense coughing;
• nasal bleeding;
• Pain in the chest area;
• abdominal pain;
• decreased blood pressure;
• slowed heart rate;
• nausea, vomiting;
• loss of consciousness;
• weakness;
• rapid fatigue while performing habitual activities;
• increase in body temperature;
• sweating;
• pallor of the skin.

If you have one or more of these signs, it is unacceptable to put off going to the doctor.

What examination should you undergo if you have black stools?

With the problem of an unusual color of feces, you should consult a gastroenterologist. In severe situations, the help of a surgeon is needed. If internal bleeding is suspected, the examination includes the following procedures:

• Blood test (usually prescribed general clinical, as well as clotting test);
• stool analysis (a test for hidden blood, co-program, as well as bacteriological analysis);
• endoscopy (esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy allow not only to determine the location of bleeding, but also to stop it, take tissue fragments for histological analysis);
• X-ray / MRI with contrast enhancement (allows you to identify the localization of the bleeding defect).

The list of diagnostic procedures may be supplemented on a personal basis.

How to take a stool sample correctly?

Proper preparation and collection of stool samples will ensure correct results. All stool samples should be taken in a special container on the day of collection, and the samples should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 6-8 hours. Collection of stool samples is done naturally, without the use of enemas and laxatives, urine must not get into the test. The container must be 1/3 full. Some stool analyses require special preparation before they can be taken.

To prepare for the co-program, skip a week or more after taking antibiotics. Do not take laxatives, enzymes, sorbents, or use rectal suppositories or ointments before the test.

Before tests to detect hidden GI bleeding, a 4-5-day diet with the exception of meat, by-products (liver, heart), fish, as well as iron, magnesium and bismuth preparations is recommended. However, in the fecal occult blood test by Colonview method, only the restriction of the above medications is recommended.

A special container is used for tests for helminth eggs, cysts and vegetative forms of protozoa, as well as for cultures for intestinal dysbacteriosis.

Conclusion

The fact that black feces in an adult can mean the development of serious ailments is frightening, but it is worth following simple recommendations throughout life, and this will greatly reduce the possibility of developing this unpleasant condition.

To the prevention of the appearance of black feces in the toilet include a group of measures:

• Minimal intake of foods that can reflect on the color of feces.
• Proper diet without too fatty and calorie-dense foods.
• Regular visits to the doctor – gastroenterologist for preventive examinations.
• Pregnant women should regularly see a gynecologist, who should also monitor the condition of the woman’s gastrointestinal tract.

Do not take the products of life lightly. Sometimes, looking into the toilet and paying attention to what color feces there is, you can prevent the development of very serious diseases. In children by the consistency and color of the poop can tell about his general state of health, but for some reason adults then cease to assess the work of the body by this criterion, although it is not necessary to do so.

The health of the whole body depends on the quality of the digestive system, so you need to be very attentive to what you eat and how you defecate.