What are the causes of black stool and how to treat this?
BLACK STOOL – Should you worry about this? Here are explanations about this color in your stool and the possible reasons behind it.
Why is your stool black and tarry? There are many reasons behind and many of us have already experienced this. In some cases, black or tarry stools with a foul smell are a sign of upper digestive tract problems. It could indicate that there is bleeding in the stomach, small intestine, or right side of the colon.
This color is certainly bothersome and concerning, especially involving our health. The first thing to look at is your food consumption. Some foods like blueberries, licorice, blood sausage, and iron tablets can cause a black color in your stool.
Here are some of the other reasons behind this occurrence:
- Taking iron supplements for anemia. Apart from this, the other side effects are stomachache, nausea, constipation, and heartburn.
- Medicines for an upset stomach like bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate) can turn not only your stool black but also your tongue.
- A bleeding ulcer is one of the most common concerns that causes this. The blood is exposed to gastric acids resulting in stool turning black and tarry.
- If there’s bleeding in your upper GI tract – the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum – this could turn your stool black and tarry called melena which is one of the symptoms of esophageal and gastric cancers. The other signs of esophageal cancer are problems with swallowing, weight loss without any effort, chest pain, indigestion, heartburn, and coughing. As for stomach cancer, the other symptoms are exhaustion, being bloated after eating, severe heartburn, nausea or vomiting, stomach pain, and weight loss without trying to.
- Mallory-Weiss tear can also be a possible cause as this is a condition where intense coughing or vomiting can cause bleeding in the esophagus.
Difference between melena and black stool
Melena is diagnosed if it’s confirmed that this is due to internal bleeding. The other one, on the other hand, is only due to certain medications, supplements and foods. If you’re stool is black, it is not the condition melena right away.