Blood in the feces of a child in most cases indicates a pathology and is not the norm. Each reason for which such a symptom occurs should be studied in detail in order to respond in time and begin treatment prescribed by a qualified doctor. There can be many reasons for rectal bleeding, but it mostly depends on the age of the baby.
Only an experienced doctor can prescribe the correct diagnosis and treatment, so at the first manifestations of this symptom, you should consult a specialist.
What are rectal bleeding
There are basically two sources of blood in stools:
- Bleeding can be localized in the upper parts of the digestive tract. This includes the stomach and small intestine. Such a symptom should alert parents, as it is not the norm. Hidden blood in the feces of a child in this case manifests itself as follows: the feces are black and will resemble tar in their consistency.
- Bleeding from the lower part of the digestive system is most often localized in the colonintestine, rectum or anus. In this case, parents will be able to see feces with impurities of fresh blood, which will have a bright red color.
Rarely, blood may show up in the stool if the child has consumed certain foods or medicines.
The main causes of blood in the stool in babies
There are quite a few reasons that cause the appearance of blood in the feces, they can be the norm or be considered a pathology. Most parents are frightened when a newborn has blood in the stool. The child is a month old, and it is unlikely that he can have serious problems with the intestines, therefore, after a thorough diagnosis, doctors most often diagnose milk allergy.
Another reason why a newborn may have blood in the stool is related to childbirth. The fact is that by chance a child can swallow it during childbirth, but there is nothing to worry about, in just a week there will be no trace of it.
Allergies and blood in feces
Allergies are a common cause of blood in feces. Parents may face a problem when the baby begins to show negative reactions to cow's milk. They occur in the youngest children, with age, such symptoms may disappear. The main cause of allergies lies in the sensitization of the child's body, the more difficult it is for children who are bottle-fed. A young mother will be able to notice blood in the feces of a child, even if she herself consumes dairy products and feedsbaby breast. If the doctor confirms that the baby has an allergy, then no treatment is required, in a year everything will go away by itself, and special mixtures will be selected for feeding the baby.
Anal fissure
Anal fissure is a common cause of feces in a baby's feces. The reason for this manifestation is frequent constipation in the baby. It should be noted that blood may appear in the stool in a child of 3 years old, and maybe in older children, in this case, age does not matter. The fact is that during a bowel movement, the child begins to push, and as a result, the intestinal mucosa ruptures.
After the bowels have been emptied, red drops of blood can be seen in the stool, in severe cases there may even be large blood clots.
Hemorrhoids and intestinal infection
When blood is found in the feces of a child, the reasons are very diverse, and it cannot be ruled out that the baby may already have hemorrhoids or an intestinal infection has entered the body. A child, like an adult, can have internal and external hemorrhoids. Blood has a certain color, it is dark red. The symptom will not appear every time, but twice a month at least. In addition to the fact that parents will be able to notice traces of blood after a bowel movement, the baby will complain of pain in the abdomen and when going to the toilet. With hemorrhoids, you need to see a doctor and undergo a course of treatment. The situation is more serious if the blood is caused by intestinal infections. Once the infection enters the bodybaby, his temperature rises, severe diarrhea begins, most often with an admixture of blood.
Less common causes
More rare causes:
- Streaks of blood in the feces of a child occur with Hirschsprung's disease. The fact is that a certain fragment of the large intestine is not capable of innervation, in which case the feces lose their ability to move and stretch the intestine. Naturally, the result is constipation.
- Crohn's disease, which occurs as a result of damage to all layers of the intestinal wall. The child is rapidly losing weight and complains of constant abdominal pain.
- Mucus and blood in the feces of a child appears with ulcerative colitis, as inflammation of the rectum occurs. Additional symptoms are cramping pains in the lower abdomen, and the feces themselves have a rotten smell.
- A serious disease is intussusception, in which one intestine enters another. Intestinal obstruction is likely if not treated immediately.
- Stools with blood appear when there are juvenile polyps in the intestines. They are growths that do not bother the baby. In most cases, the only symptom is blood in the feces of a child, 2-year-old children are most often exposed to such pathologies. The specialist may decide to remove the polyps surgically so that they do not cause any problems for the baby and his parents.
In any case, if an alarming symptom appears and the baby becomes lethargic, it is necessarySeek immediate medical attention for diagnosis.
Black stool in children
It is not always possible to detect blood in feces, because they are black. To determine why the color has changed, it is necessary to pass laboratory tests that will either confirm the presence of a pathology or refute this version.
When blood is detected under such conditions, it is generally accepted that it is hidden, and the reason lies precisely in the cracks in the esophagus, stomach ulcers or bleeding of the veins of the esophagus. If the tests did not show any abnormalities in the intestines or stomach, then the specialist will most likely send the child and mother for examination to the dentist or ENT, since even ordinary nosebleeds can be accompanied by black feces. The fact is that the blood enters the stomach, where it stains food black.
Advice from pediatrician Komarovsky
According to Komarovsky, blood in the stool in a child can occur for all the reasons listed above, but he does not advise ignoring any of them. Naturally, parents should go to the doctor, but this requires a thorough analysis and remembering what the baby ate before this symptom appeared. Parents will be required to tell the doctor everything without hiding anything, only in this way an experienced specialist will be able to give good advice, prescribe tests and prescribe suitable medicinal formulations.
It is important for parents to remember whether the child has consumed beets or other foods thatcan paint the chair red, this is what the famous pediatrician Komarovsky says. Blood in the stool in a child, the causes and all the symptoms may indicate that the baby has serious problems with the digestive system, and the sooner the doctor can diagnose the disease, the easier it will be to cure it.
Diagnosis
The doctor will be able to collect complete information only after the diagnosis. As the main methods of examination, a specialist may perform palpation of the anus or rectal examination. It is mandatory to pass all the necessary tests. If a specialist has serious suspicions, then an in-depth study is carried out.
- Colonoscopy is an endoscopic examination of the large intestine.
- Ultrasound from stomach to intestines.
What kind of diagnosis is relevant to use the specialist will decide based on the complaints of the parents, because the blood in the feces of the child occurs for various reasons.
How should parents act?
Naturally, all parents worry about the he alth of their baby, which is why you should consult a doctor if you have the slightest doubt. Mom and dad should take a small piece of feces and take it to the laboratory for analysis to rule out the presence of an infection in the digestive system. If the tests could not give a clear answer to the doctor, then an in-depth examination is carried out. Parents don't need to panic right away as this can complicate the situation.
Advice to parents
Caring parents should remember just five simple rules,that will help to understand the current situation:
- First of all, adults should carefully examine the child's stool to make sure that there is blood in it, and not food particles or the effects of medication, which can also stain feces.
- You should examine the anus of the child and pay attention to his well-being. If the child is five years old, he will be free to answer all the questions of the parents and talk about the symptoms that further disturb him.
- After examining the anus and not noticing any scratches that could cause bleeding, adults should definitely consult a doctor and go through all the diagnostics prescribed by him.
- If the bleeding from the anus of the child does not stop within an hour, then it is recommended to call an emergency room.
- Parents should not panic, because they can scare the child with this behavior.
It is important to understand the seriousness of the situation, because a small child is more prone to intestinal diseases than adults, and most often they are associated with the penetration of intestinal infections into the baby's body.
Rectal bleeding treatment
Before starting treatment, the doctor must establish the causes. Blood in the stool in a child may indicate a serious illness that will be treated by a proctologist or gastroenterologist. Therapy may include:
- If a specialist diagnoses blood caused by bacteria or infection, then the child is prescribedtherapy that includes antibiotics.
- Anal fissure and hemorrhoids are treated with rectal suppositories. They relieve inflammation and heal existing wounds. As soon as the baby undergoes a course of such therapy, all problems with constipation and intestines disappear. If, after a month, alarming symptoms reappear, the course is recommended to be repeated.
- Protein allergies in babies are easy to treat. All foods that cause it are excluded, if it is mother's milk, then the mother is first of all recommended to follow a diet, otherwise, the child is transferred from breast milk to special mixtures.
- Invagination is treated quite simply. To straighten the intestine, the child is given an enema, the feces begin to move and, without causing any harm to he alth and life, come out. In order to establish the functioning of the digestive system in this case, parents should take care of the baby's diet. Select foods that will not cause constipation. If the case turns out to be difficult, then surgery is indispensable.
What treatment will be effective for a small patient, only a specialist doctor can decide, who will take into account many factors, such as the age of the child and his physiological characteristics. Experts do not recommend ignoring such a serious symptom as blood in the feces of a child, especially if it appeared, and then went away on its own, and after a while made itself felt again.
