What drugs black stool. Why can an adult have black stool? Causes and treatment. Causes of black feces in children

Black stool always causes anxiety and serious fears for their health. Often this is justified, as it is a sign of a serious illness.

But in some cases, the color of feces can be affected by the food consumed, vitamins, medicines and other factors that do not pose any threat to health.

The normal color of feces is brown, it can be dark or light. The most common and harmless reason for changing color to black is food consumed. Foods that can affect the color of stool:

1. fruits of prunes, red and black grapes;
2. beet;
3. bananas and apples;
4. chokeberry;
5. black currant;
6. coffee (especially coffee beans and in large quantities);
7. blueberries and blackberries;
8. tomatoes.

If these products have been in use for the last 2-3 days, then it is advisable to exclude them from the diet. After that, within three days, the black color of the feces should disappear. If this does not happen, then the reason is not in the products used.

The black color of feces can be the result of taking medicines rich in iron. For example, Ferrum - Lek. In this case, there is no need to interrupt the course of treatment.

Activated carbon It can also stain feces dark.

In cases of taking medications and vitamin complexes rich in iron, the black color of feces is considered the norm and does not require any treatment. After taking the drugs, the color will return to normal.

There are cases when a change in the color of an adult's stool requires urgent medical intervention and a complete examination.

internal bleeding- a dangerous condition that can lead to death. Internal bleeding is usually accompanied by symptoms such as feeling unwell, weakness, dizziness, pain, nausea and vomiting. If these symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.

At constipation, especially chronic, the color of feces may be black. Constipation can occur due to malnutrition, the use of drugs. Very often, bedridden patients suffer from constipation.

How to deal with such a problem in children?

Black feces in a child causes great concern and anxiety of parents. First of all, you need to pay attention to the condition of the baby. If he is active, does not complain of feeling unwell, and he does not have a high temperature, then the black stool is a consequence of the food taken. Consider the main causes of black stool in a child.

In the first days of a baby's life, black feces are due to a normal physiological process. While in the womb, the baby swallowed amniotic fluid, mucus and other substances. After birth, the stomach is cleansed and all this comes out with black feces.

Black feces may appear during the period transition from breastfeeding artificial feeding. This is normal and will pass in a few days.

Introduced into the child's diet bananas can also cause black stools. Very often, such a reaction occurs when the baby first meets this fruit. After a while, the body will get used to it and the stool will return to normal.

Mixes, rich in iron, can affect the color of a child's stool. After a couple of weeks, the stool will take on a natural color.

Black stool may be caused by vitamins containing iron. No need to worry about this and interrupt the course of treatment.

The most common and harmless cause of black stool is food food. Remember what your baby ate.

Do not worry if his diet included the following foods: grapes, apples, bananas, blueberries, black or red currants, blackberries, tomatoes, beets, or liver dishes.

You need to seek help from doctors if the child complains of feeling unwell or in pain, feels sick, has a fever, or is simply naughty for no reason. Black stool may be a sign internal bleeding!

What is the risk of this symptom for the elderly?

Most often, feces in older people are darker in color than in young people. This is normal and does not require any treatment.

Vitamin complexes, rich in iron, are also the cause of black feces. It is not necessary to interrupt the course of taking vitamins.

Some medications can change the color of stool.

Activated carbon and food are the causes of black feces.

If an elderly person has black stools accompanied by diarrhea and deterioration, then an urgent need to consult a doctor.

At bedridden patients the color of feces may be black. This is due to the fact that the metabolic process is slow.

Also, liquid black feces occur in older people before death. The reason for this is the "shutdown" of the vital organs.

In what cases is medical assistance needed?

You need to urgently call an ambulance if:

• vomiting has opened;
• a high temperature has risen and does not go astray;
• the person lost consciousness;
• the patient complains of numbness of the limbs;
• there were drops in blood pressure;
• the patient has a chronic liver disease;
• the patient has a chronic bowel disease;
• chronic anemia.

If black feces is accompanied by at least one of the above signs, then the patient needs urgent medical care.

Can the stool be black with liver disease?

Cirrhosis of the liver- a disease that is more common in people over 35 years of age. One of the main signs of this disease is the black color of feces.

In most cases, the patient's stool is watery, and may also be accompanied by vomiting and dizziness. This color of feces is due to internal bleeding and requires immediate medical attention.

Liver cancer- develops as a result of advanced cirrhosis. The main symptoms are lethargy, low blood pressure, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

With such a diagnosis, the patient should be under the supervision of specialists.

Gastroenteritis- an infectious disease, a characteristic feature of which is the black color of feces with a pungent odor.

Treatment is prescribed by a doctor after all the necessary tests have been carried out. Usually treatment takes place in a hospital, especially if the child is sick.

What disease could this be a sign of?

If the black color of feces is accompanied by a general deterioration in the state of the body, nausea, high fever, diarrhea, then most likely the person is sick.

Gastritis- Inflammation of the walls of the stomach. Adults and children suffer from gastritis. The main signs of the disease: black feces; diarrhea; vomit; heartburn.

stomach ulcer- a chronic disease, which is characterized by ulcers on the walls of the stomach and 12 - duodenal ulcer.

Bleeding stomach- most often occurs in people taking strong antibiotics on an ongoing basis. And also internal bleeding is not uncommon in people who abuse alcoholic beverages.

Crayfish liver or colon - an incurable disease, which is characterized by: black feces, nausea, vomiting, blood in the stool, sudden weight loss, pain in the abdominal cavity.

A few important nuances in the conclusion

Black stool looks scary, but is not always a sign of any disease. First of all, you need to analyze the nutrition for the last 2-3 days, remember what drugs you took. If, in your opinion, nothing could cause a change in the color of feces, then you should consult a doctor.

The release of the intestines from feces is a normal physiological function of the body.

Usually, the color of feces ranges from light to dark brown.

Sometimes it turns black. The reasons for its change in adults and children are described in this article.

Some foods cause blackening of the stool. These are liver, tomatoes, black currants, black pudding, meat with an admixture of blood, beets, prunes.

This phenomenon is observed when using blueberries, grapes, pomegranate, cherries and red wine with the addition of dyes.

Some drugs cause a characteristic color of feces. Tablets containing iron and multivitamins can provoke a sharp blackening of the stool. "Vitrum", "Sorbifer", activated charcoal, aspirin can affect the change in its shade.

If the stool has a coal color and a fetid odor, it is called melena or black disease. The reason for this is a serious disease or pathological condition, which is accompanied by bleeding of the upper sections of the gastric tract.

In addition to the main symptom, other signs of the disease appear. Dark-colored vomiting, nausea, bleeding from the anus, acute pain in the abdomen may occur.

Melena occurs as a result of a disease of the digestive system - a hernia of the digestive department, a benign tumor, polyps, the presence of foreign bodies inside the stomach, stomach ulcers.

At the beginning of bleeding, vomiting appears, and copious feces appear ten hours later. If the patient suffers from constipation, he can have a chair only in a day.

Melena affects patients with a defect in the veins of the esophagus, liver cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, benign or malignant tumor.

Excrements of a characteristic color occur as a reaction to irritation of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract due to poisoning.

Symptoms that accompany melena: general weakness, tinnitus, pallor, vomiting, goosebumps, thirst.

black stool during pregnancy

Pregnant women often develop iron deficiency (anemia). In this case, women who are expecting a baby are prescribed multivitamin preparations, where it is contained. The dark color of the feces is the remains of iron that come out.

If, in the presence of blackened stools, there are concerns associated with the state of health, it is necessary to temporarily abandon the pills on the recommendation of a doctor. In healthy people, the stool turns brown again.

Pregnancy itself has nothing to do with the darkening of the color of feces. Therefore, when dark stools appear that are not associated with taking multivitamins, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Causes of black feces in children

The appearance of dark feces in a child is sometimes a cause of extreme concern on the part of parents.

If his behavior does not cause concern, there is no need to worry. Perhaps the reason is the unlimited use of chocolate. But, if the darkening of the stool is accompanied by a sharp deterioration in health, you should immediately contact a pediatrician for medical assistance.

For the first time, black stool appears in an infant on the third day of life. This is meconium, consisting of digested epithelial cells, bile, internal waters, and mucus. His appearance should not worry parents. Over time, the chair acquires its usual color.

If in the diet of a child of the first year of life there were apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries, currants, the feces can be not only coal, but also green. This is the result of the oxidation of iron by the action of gastric juice. There is no need to exclude these foods from the diet.

Milk mixtures also cause the appearance of feces of a certain color if their composition contains iron. The mass is not always homogeneous. It sometimes contains dark stripes or dots. This can happen after the child drank natural red fruit juice or ate a banana.

If, nevertheless, the soul is not calm, you need to make sure that there is no danger. The only way out can only be a consultation with a pediatrician. After testing for the presence or absence of bleeding, the pediatrician makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment.

In order not to aggravate the situation, parents need to follow simple rules:

- Watch your baby's diet. Determine which foods or medications can affect fecal color.

- If the stool contains sand, it is necessary to exclude foods that are poorly digested.

- It is necessary to monitor the general condition of the child. If he behaves sluggishly, complains of abdominal pain, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician.

- Life-threatening bleeding is accompanied by a sharp deterioration in health. The baby becomes lethargic, pale, drowsy.

All these signs confirm the suspicion of internal bleeding in different parts of the digestive system. In such a situation, it is impossible to stop the blood with home methods, the child needs urgent hospitalization.

Causes of withdrawal syndrome

It happens that people suffering from alcoholism notice tar-colored stools. This is a sign of withdrawal symptoms. If you do not consult a doctor in a timely manner, the disease will worsen, which can lead to a sad ending.

Its first signs are very similar to the usual hangover. The patient begins to have a headache, nausea, weakness.

After there is an intensive exit of feces, which resemble coal. Their smell usually has a resemblance to resin. A little later, severe vomiting appears. Often the vomit contains drops of blood. This indicates that the vessels are starting to burst. If first aid is not provided at this stage, irreversible consequences are possible, which sometimes end in death.

The appearance of vomiting indicates cirrhosis of the liver, which is no less dangerous than withdrawal symptoms. It requires emergency medical intervention.

This syndrome is treated in two ways - narcological and resuscitation. Narcological assistance is provided only in a hospital setting. Patients are given drugs that help restore the natural balance of the body. The main condition for treatment is the complete exclusion of alcoholic beverages, reassessment of values, and the rejection of addiction.

Resuscitation assistance is provided in case of a sharp deterioration in health, a threat to life. Psychological and medical assistance to the patient is given after the threat to life has passed.

As practice shows, withdrawal syndrome is a very dangerous disease. If this happens, therapy should be carried out only in a hospital. Home treatment will be ineffective and dangerous to health. In addition, patients with alcoholism may not stop drinking, which will only aggravate the situation.

From all of the above, we can conclude that the appearance of feces of a specific black color should not be ignored. If the general condition is normal, you need to analyze your diet, the frequency of taking medications. Foods and medicines that contain iron make the stool darker than normal.

If the condition worsens, nausea and pains appear in the lower abdomen in the right or left side, you need to call a doctor.

It is extremely dangerous not to seek medical attention if internal bleeding is suspected. In addition to the main syndrome, it is usually accompanied by high fever, weakness, vomiting, dizziness. This patient needs urgent medical attention. The specialist will refer the patient to the laboratory for blood and stool tests, gastroscopy and x-rays of the digestive system.

If a person notices black feces in himself or a child, it is necessary first of all to assess the general condition. In a situation where an adult or child feels unwell, he has pallor of the skin, apathy and drowsiness, he complains of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, weakness, fainting, cold sweat or pressure drop, you should immediately call "ambulance", because in such a situation, black feces can be a sign of bleeding from the upper digestive tract.

If a person has black feces, but at the same time he feels normal, then there is no need to call an ambulance, since in this case the unusual color of the feces may be due to the peculiarities of the diet or medication.

So, with normal health against the background of black feces, it is necessary to find out the reasons for its appearance. When black feces are excreted, adults should first of all remember whether alcoholic beverages, especially strong ones, were taken in a fair amount during the previous three days. When black feces appear after drinking a large amount of such alcoholic beverages, this is also a reason to see a doctor. You should not try to treat yourself, because in such a situation, black feces can also be a symptom of bleeding. If, after an alcoholic libation, a person took activated charcoal and black feces stood out against the background of normal well-being, then this is not dangerous. Coal will be finally removed from the body within 1 - 2 days, and the feces will take on a normal appearance. Drinking red wine can also stain feces black. If, after drinking red wine, a person does not care about anything but black feces, then a normal physiological reaction of the body takes place. After 1 - 2 days, the color of the stool will be restored. No special action needs to be taken.

If alcoholic beverages were not consumed, then you should remember and write down on paper all the foods that were present in the diet over the past three days. Then assess which foods contain a lot of iron, and, therefore, can stain the stool black. Here is a list of foods that have the ability to intensely color feces black:

• Blood sausage and meat products with blood;


• Liver;



• Red wine;



• Red beetroot ;


• Prunes;



• Red or black grapes;





• Chokeberry, etc.

If a person has not consumed any iron-rich foods that can stain black stools during the previous three days, do not panic. It is necessary to remember which medications were taken within three days before the appearance of black feces. The following medications can stain feces black:

• Iron preparations (Ferrum-Lek, Totem, Sorbifer, Tardiferon, etc.);


• Vitamins with iron (Vitrum, Multi-Tabs, Centrum, etc.);


• Activated carbon;


• Preparations containing bismuth (De-Nol, Novbismol);


• Drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - NSAIDs (Aspirin, Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Ibuprofen, etc.).

The normal shade of stool is brown, although the acceptable color range is quite wide. If there are strong changes, for example, black stools appear, then this can easily cause anxiety. In fact, the meaning of such a symptom is different. Some causes are completely harmless, while others are quite serious diseases.

If there are significant changes in the color of feces, then, first of all, you need to think about what foods or medications have been taken recently. The chair is very easily stained, for example, due to common prunes.

In this case, it is enough to wait a few days, excluding the probable cause of the new color from the diet. If during this time there has been no improvement, then you will have to consult a doctor to find the cause.

Black feces can be both a harmless symptom and a harbinger of a disease.

Common dyes

There are quite a few products that can potentially lead to a change in shade. If a person is interested in why his feces are black, then he should check if he has recently consumed one of these products.

Plant food:

• Red beetroot,
• Blueberry,
• Black currant,
• chokeberry,
• Apples,
• bananas,
• Pomegranate,
• Prunes,
• Blackberry,
• Red ,
• Wine with red dyes.

From the point of view of meat products, black coloring of feces can lead to:

• Blood sausage,
• Other meat products with blood inclusions,
• Liver.

Finally, very strong tea or coffee could also be the cause if they were consumed in large quantities. Sometimes simple high-calorie meals also lead to unwanted discoloration.

Influence of drugs

In addition to food, medications can also act as dyes. The most common case is the intake of activated charcoal. After using it, the next time you go to the toilet, a person will see a black color.

Other influencing drugs are those that cause bleeding in the stomach, as well as those saturated with iron. That is why black feces are so often observed during pregnancy. Many expectant mothers are diagnosed with a possible one, which is why they start taking iron.

Some vitamin complexes and even preparations from lead to such changes. As a rule, each instruction indicates whether the color of the stool can change as a result of taking it. You should review the list of side effects from recent medications to see if they might be causing the problem.

Note. Black liquid feces, which appeared after the start of taking medications, indicates the need to visit a doctor.

If a black color is formed after a long-term use of Ibuprofen, De Nol, medicines for or some other, then this is not a reason to immediately run to the doctor. It is enough to stop the consumption of these drugs and follow the dynamics of changes. Thus, it is necessary to act in the same way as if the reason were covered in food products.

Features of changes in children

Parents always carefully monitor the condition of their child, including changes in his feces. As a rule, if there are no other symptoms, such as fever or general loss of strength, when this color appears, then most likely the reason lies in the food.

In newborns, dark stools are quite common, since, while still in the womb, he swallowed various substances, such as amniotic fluid or mucus. All this will subsequently begin to leave the body, and the stool may become black. This will be the so-called original excrement or meconium.

Another period for which this is the norm is the transition from breastfeeding to regular food or infant formula. As a rule, after a few days everything passes. Often this happens because of the first consumption of bananas, or if the mixture was saturated with iron. The substance is often present in children's vitamins.

Any products that can color an adult's feces can also affect a child's condition. Thus, it is necessary to carefully remember everything that the baby ate. In the event that the diet could not affect the color, as well as with the appearance of temperature or nausea, we can talk about more pathological causes.

Dark shade in the elderly

Most of the substances that cause black stools are the same in older people as they are in adults. However, most often the reason lies in medications, in particular vitamin complexes, if they contain a lot of iron. In this case, people do not need to interrupt the course.

Elderly people often take activated charcoal, which can change color, but if they still have liquid stools, then the best solution is to see a doctor. Consumption of Denol also leads to changes.

A similar shade becomes a normal, but rather sad event in two cases. First, if the person is bedridden. His body tries to adapt to low activity by slowing down the metabolism. Because of this, changes occur. This also happens if the organs gradually stop working. In this case, liquid and black stools will indicate a likely imminent death.

Possible diseases

If the color changes were not affected by food or drugs, and the situation is not related to the peculiarities of age, then you can think about the course of some kind of disease. Since the addition of red to the feces leads to a black tint, most often these diseases are associated with internal bleeding, especially in the stomach.

Note. Black does not always indicate the presence of blood. Often the shade is obtained due to the ingress of special bacteria and enzymes into the masses.

What does black stool mean, in addition to internal bleeding:

• The development of ulcers
• The beginning of oncological processes,
• Expansion of the esophageal veins
• leukemia,
• Plague,
• histoplasmosis,
• Ankylostomiasis,
• or liver cancer
• Gastroenteritis,
• Crohn's disease, frolicking in the intestines.

You should not be afraid of serious illnesses if the dark color of the stool is the only symptom that appears. Usually, the above pathologies manifest themselves in another way.

• The patient's temperature rises.
• He begins to vomit or vomit.
• There is pallor of the skin.
• He sweats a lot.
• The liver may increase in size and be painful on palpation.
• It almost always causes stomach pain.

Numbness of the limbs and problems with are also symptoms that indicate the need to urgently see a doctor. If a blood test shows a decrease in hemoglobin, then it will be possible to talk about quite probable internal bleeding. In the case of gastroenteritis, there is usually a strong fecal odor.

Other shades

In addition to dark black, black-green feces are often observed in an adult. Unlike the first option, most often this is due to diseases, and not to nutritional problems. Usually this happens due to infectious diseases that can be localized both in the intestines and in other places.

Very often, a green tint indicates dysentery. At its first manifestations, there may be no temperature, pain syndrome, nausea, and other likely symptoms. They appear a little later.

If there is also a green color in the feces, then it is best to immediately consult a doctor, and not wait for the condition to worsen. However, it may also turn out that color is the only sign of ongoing changes. In this case, it is permissible to say that it was caused by food rich in chlorophyll.

Black dots

Sometimes the feces may not be completely stained, but only partially changed. For example, it may contain tiny black grains, which are commonly called black dots. Most often, these are simply leftover food or medicines that have not been fully digested. The products themselves do not have to be black.

Most often this happens after eating:

• raspberries,
• currants,
• persimmons,
• poppy,
• Kiwi,
• apples,
• Bananas.

Diagnosis and treatment

If there is a suspicion that the feces have become black due to illness, then the doctor will prescribe a series of procedures with which he examines the digestive tract. Often you have to swallow a probe, pass through, and also take standard tests.

Treatment directly depends on the cause. If the matter was in products or medicines, then no therapy will be carried out. It will only be necessary to adjust the diet, reducing the consumption of possible dyes. If the reasons turned out to be more serious, then it is highly likely that the patient will need urgent hospitalization, and sometimes surgery.

Note! Sometimes black-colored feces appear just after operations. This may indicate that internal bleeding has begun due to such a procedure.

As an emergency measure of assistance, before the arrival of an ambulance, you can put the sick person to rest and not give food. He is only allowed to drink cold clean water. Subsequently, it will be necessary to take care of prevention.

To prevent this from happening again, it is important to monitor your diet, in particular, to exclude high-calorie foods from the diet. It is also important to contact a specialist in time for problems with the gastrointestinal tract, and pregnant women should not miss trips to their doctor.

Why is feces black?

They ensure the normal functioning of the human gastrointestinal tract, metabolic processes occurring every second in the body - the breakdown of nutrients and the removal of their residues from the body through urine and feces.

Some substances have the ability to dissolve in a liquid and color it in different colors, coming out unchanged.

If they are water soluble, they are excreted in urine, staining it in various colors. If the substance is fat-soluble, it is excreted in the faeces, staining them in the appropriate color, including black feces.

A person's stool (feces) is the end result of the processing of useful substances that enter the body with food. Its color, composition, texture and smell are the actual indicators of the state of health. Such signs were taken into account by the ancient Aesculapius.

Other names for pathology are "melena" and "chernukha"

What symptoms of the appearance of black feces should alert?

Signs of the manifestation of black feces in an adult require special attention. This color of feces may be due to the reaction of complex chromoprotein proteins and red blood cells with gastric juice (hydrochloric acid).

Therefore, the appearance of melena should be regarded as a distress signal of the body, indicating problems in the gastrointestinal tract.

The smell of feces is also of great importance, it can tell a lot:

1. putrid amber indicates problems in gastric digestion - abnormal breakdown of proteins (putrefactive dyspepsia) or chronic inflammation of the large intestine (ulcerative colitis).
2. Rancid smell oil indicates digestive problems - a lack of bile in the intestines or pancreatic secretion.
3. Pronounced sour the smell of feces indicates the presence of one of the forms of dyspepsia.

Therefore, when melena appears, the reason for such a transformation should be clarified. It is possible that they will be completely harmless, due to the use of pigment-containing products or provocative medications.

In addition, the cause of the black color of feces is often due to a variety of chronic pathologies, the symptoms of which are manifested by a change in the color of feces.

The main factor in determining a particular cause is the well-being of a person.

If the presence of a pathology does not cause concern and the state of health is normal - in most cases these are traces / reactions to food, or taking provocative medications.

If the darkening of the feces is accompanied by:

• stomach pains;
• heartburn and hyperthermia;
• signs of intoxication (vomiting or nausea);
• diarrhea or constipation (constipation);
• flatulence and anemia.

You can safely suspect ulcerative pathology of the initial section of the jejunum and stomach, the development of hepatitis or cirrhosis.

If melena appeared suddenly, the cause should be sought in the gastrointestinal tract. In many diseases, black feces are the main symptom of the disease.

The reason for this coloration may be:

• ulcerative intestinal pathologies;
• tumor processes in the stomach;
• varicose vascular lesions and inflammation of the esophageal membrane;
• acute lymphoblastic leukemia;
• dystrophic-inflammatory processes in the gastric mucosa;
• inflammatory lesions of the large and small intestines;
• deep mycoses and helminthiases;
• black feces and pain in the epigastric region indicate a stomach ulcer.

Contribute to the manifestation of the disease internal bleeding. Under the action of the reaction of gastric secretion and hemoglobin, red cells are converted into dark pigments - hematins.

The intensive transformation of feces into a glossy dark color contributes to the decay of malignant tumors in the intestinal lumen, causing internal bleeding.

Effects of diet and medication on dark stools

A change in the color of feces is not always an indicator of disease. When eating foods high in iron, black stools are common and do not cause any health problems.

Such symptoms are manifested by the excessive consumption of dishes made from beets or blood (blood sausage), red grapes and red wines.

Black dots in the feces can appear with partial digestion of various stone fruits (kiwi, raspberries, currants, etc.).

Staining of feces is also caused by some medicines:

1. Iron-containing drugs prescribed for hematological syndrome (development of anemia);
2. Vitamin complexes and bismuth containing drugs.
3. Enterosorbents.
4. Long-term use of painkillers based on salicylate. Prolonged action on the circulatory system causes the development of internal bleeding - a possible cause of black feces with blood.
5. Taking antibiotics. In the treatment of gastrointestinal pathologies, antibiotics can provoke the formation of black-green feces. This is facilitated by a large accumulation of dead white blood cells in the foci of inflammation.

black diarrhea photo

Such diarrhea can be provoked by a variety of reasons, both foods and drugs. Only the liquid consistency of feces is due to the failure of the gastrointestinal tract to quickly remove harmful provoking substances from the body.

The appearance of liquid blackened feces is a response of the body. Sometimes, this is facilitated by a sharp change in the usual diet or prolonged poisoning of the body with fusel oils of low-quality alcoholic beverages. All this can be quickly corrected independently at home.

But very often, suddenly blackened liquid feces can appear as a clinical symptom of intracavitary bleeding, due to:

• ulcerative erosions and varicose lesions of blood vessels at the location of the pathology;
• intestinal diseases and tumor processes in it;
• pathologies of the biliary tract;
• or other parts of the intestine;
• viral and bacterial infections that change the color of feces to black-green feces.

The appearance of liquid black feces is a sure sign of exacerbation, in the presence of diseases: ulcers, hepatitis, cancer or open internal bleeding after surgery of the stomach or intestines.

In this case, diarrhea is accompanied by:

• scarlet or dark vomit:
• pallor and dizziness;
• hypotension and development of anemia;
• intense paroxysmal pain in the abdomen;
• rotten belching - evidence of the progression of the process.

If this condition lasts more than two days, you should not hesitate, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Black feces in pregnant women

The manifestation of black feces in pregnant women is a common occurrence. This is facilitated by the intake of various vitamin complexes enriched with iron, which are often attributed to pregnant women to maintain the body.

In addition, the addiction of women during this period to vegetables, fruits and berries containing iron is a well-known fact. There is no harm from this, the state of health does not worsen and you should not worry.

Women who have a history of diseases associated with chronic pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract should be wary. Then, the staining of feces in dark colors may be the result of inflammation of the gastric mucosa or its ulcerative lesion.

It is impossible not to notice this, since the state of health deteriorates sharply, vomiting and stool disorder appear. It is urgent to seek medical help.

Newborn children are exposed to true and false forms of the disease.

In the first case, black feces in a child is manifested due to hemostasis (poor blood clotting), accompanied by bleeding from the umbilical cord, subcutaneous hemorrhage, into the conjunctiva, etc.

In the second case, changes in feces are preceded by swallowing blood during childbirth, sucking on cracked nipples, or damage to the nasal or oral mucosa.

In older children, a pathological change in stool to a dark color is the main symptom of bleeding from incomplete fusion of the Mikkel diverticulum. The output of blood can be massive, provoking a sharp development of anemia.

Bleeding can be caused by:

• the presence of a diaphragmatic hernia in a child;
• damage to the veins of the esophagus by varicose veins;
• infectious-allergic vascular pathologies;
• gastritis and intestinal and gastric ulcers.

The child must be urgently hospitalized. Until the causes of bleeding are clarified, he should not eat anything. Only short sips of cold water are allowed.

What to do with dark stool and when to go to the doctor?

What you should not do is self-diagnose the disease and self-medicate.

If black feces does not affect your general well-being in any way, observe for a couple of days how the situation will change with the exclusion of provocative factors. Otherwise, you should seek qualified help.

Immediate consultation is necessary if there is a history of:

• irreversible processes in the liver (cirrhosis);
• diffuse pathologies of the liver (hepatitis);
• iron deficiency anemia;
• ulcerative pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract;
• malignant neoplasms in the gastrointestinal tract.

If the symptoms are accompanied by vomiting and hyperthermia, lethargy, weakness and indifference to food. Timely identification of the cause can protect against the development of oncological processes in the intestine.