Blood in the stool

Blood in stool
Classification and external resources
Specialty	Gastroenterology
ICD-9-CM	578.1
DiseasesDB	19317
MedlinePlus	003130
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When referring to human feces, blood in stool looks different depending on how early it enters the digestive tract — and thus how much digestive action it has been exposed to — and how much there is. The term can refer either to melena, with a black appearance, originating from upper gastrointestinal bleeding; or to , with a red color, originating from lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The term "blood in stool" is usually only used to describe visible blood and not fecal occult blood, which is found only after chemical testing.

In infants, the Apt test can be used to distinguish fetal hemoglobin from maternal blood.

Common causes of blood in the stool include:

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