What Causes Red Blood in Stools?

What Causes Red Blood In Stools?

Red blood in stools can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose red blood in stools, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "red blood in stools" as a symptom. Here are eight possibilities (more below):

Stomach Ulcers
Possible Urgent Medical Need
Endometriosis
Hemorrhoids
Crohn's Disease
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Ulcerative Colitis
Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

meals worsen top-right abdomen pain

slight abdominal distension

having watery stools

Crohn's disease in remission

diarrhea for 1-3 months

frequent mucus in stools

iron deficiency anemia

meal-induced pain for under a week

low energy/stamina

severe right hypochondriac pain

meals worsen right iliac pain

recent onset abdominal pain

... and more than 90 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of red blood in stools:

Cause	Probability	Status
Gastrointestinal Bleeding	92%	Confirm
Hemorrhoids	19%	Unlikely
Stomach Ulcers	17%	Unlikely
Crohn's Disease	3%	Ruled out
Possible Urgent Medical Need	2%	Ruled out
Iron Deficiency Anemia	2%	Ruled out
Ulcerative Colitis	1%	Ruled out
Endometriosis	1%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate irregular stools, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Do you see red blood in or on your stools?

Possible responses:

→ Never / don't know
→ Occasionally / small amount on tissue only
→ Occasionally / small amount on tissue and stool
→ Very often recently
→ A significant amount for some time now

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate red blood in stools, frequent red blood in stools or significant red blood in stools, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

A Potentially Urgent Medical Need

Significant bleeding from anywhere in the body requires immediate medical attention. Small amounts of red blood, especially on the toilet tissue, are most likely from hemorrhoids.

Colon Cancer

In general, you should see a specialist if you are over 40 and have the following symptoms: