What black stools tell us, or the error-free diagnosis of diseases

The normal color of the stool in a person should be in the range from light brown to dark brown hues. In general, for each person is considered a certain specific color, so for any violations, he immediately should notice the changes and see a doctor.

Brown feces are acquired because it contains processed bile in the intestine and those food particles that have not been digested.

But a black chair is, as a rule, a deviation from the norm. The presence of this color indicates a failure in the operation of any organs of the digestive system or more serious disorders. Our task is to explain to you what to do if you notice that you or a child has got a feces color.

So, first of all, you should make a list of those foods and drinks that you used during the last three days. Very often black stools result from the use of certain drugs (activated charcoal, vitamin complexes, bismuth preparations) or food products (for example, beets, prunes, grapes). There are a number of medications that can give a similar side effect. However, all of them are very difficult to list, therefore, when acquiring any medicine, be sure to read the instructions for its use and with a graph of side effects.

If a black chair appears as a result of taking the above drugs or food, then it is not dangerous and does not require specific treatment. It is very important to remember that those medicines that contain acetylsalicylic acid, anti-inflammatory medications and those that reduce blood clotting do not stain the feces in a similar color, but can cause internal bleeding, which leads to a similar effect. This is very dangerous and requires immediate medical attention.

If the feces become normal color within a few days, as a rule, such changes were not the result of serious diseases. However, if the black stool lasts for two to three days (especially in the form of diarrhea), you should immediately consult a doctor.

As a rule, black patches in feces are undigested food particles or elements of medicines. Remember that when passing through the intestine, many products can become dark, even if they did not have this shade.

Black stool, the reasons of which can be reliably established only by a doctor, sometimes arises together with some concomitant symptoms. It can also be a consequence of the development of acute or chronic diseases. Therefore, you need to seek medical help if a dark stool has appeared:

1. Simultaneously with vomiting, nausea and fever.
2. The patient has a ulcer (duodenum or stomach).
3. In a patient with cirrhosis of the liver or chronic hepatitis.
4. In the event that a person has cancer of the intestine.
5. After the eve of vomiting.
6. At that patient, whose blood test results often diagnose anemia.

Sometimes black stools may appear along with blotches of blood. As a rule, the causes of this condition are serious bowel diseases. If the same happens after surgery, the patient may have internal bleeding.

If you notice a black stool in the baby in the first days of his life, this phenomenon is considered normal. This is the original feces (called meconium), which in a few days will completely come out of the baby's body. Then it will be replaced by an ordinary one, the color of which will depend on the baby's diet, in particular, on the type of the main feed (breast milk or mixture).