This is a condition that can scare the parents when they see the child passing blood in the stools. The age of the child can be a few months or the child may be 3 - 4 years old. The parents must be observant whenever they see blood in the stools of their child. Certain details are very important to the Pediatric Surgeon who can narrow down the differential diagnosis of the causes for the bleed. One should look for following parameters:

The color of the blood - bright red, dark red or blackish red;
The consistency of the stool - hard dry, soft and normal, or semi liquid with sticky mucus.
Does the child cry when passing stool, after the stool?
Is there any mass seen coming out of the rectum during or after the stool passage?

A rectal examination by the surgeon will help in ruling out certain possibilities. Very often, detailed history, proper rectal examination is enough to come to a diagnosis of the cause. If, however, these are inadequate to know the reason then other investigations like a Colonoscopy or a Barium Enema are required.

The commonest causes for a rectal bleed:

Severe amebic dysentery: It       presents with abdominal pain, blood       & mucus mixed together in the stool.

Fissure or crack at the anal       margin: It presents as hard stool,       crying when passing stool, blood       streaking the stool on one side only       and there may be a history of       constipation.

Bleeding within the intestines: It presents as painless dark blood in stools      with large amount of clots. If, along with bleeding there is a mass that is      seen by the parents, it cannot be Piles. Piles is unheard of in children so do      not treat your child for piles. It could be either:

Rectal Polyp: It is like a tumor in the rectum that comes out at times leading      to fresh bright red blood after stools, which are normal in consistency and      non-painful.

Rectal prolapse: It is usually seen in a chronically constipated child who      strains to pass hard stool. There may be associated blood and some mucus.      Mass may go back inside after the passage of the stool.

Intussusception: It occurs in an infants below 1 year and presents with      severe abdominal pain, screaming, passage of only blood and mucus,      distended abdomen and vomiting. The intestines are telescoped one over the      other and are obstructed. If not treated early, it can lead to gangrene of the      intestine requiring operative removal of a part of the intestine.

Thus, in short, Bleeding per rectum in a child below 1 year - run to a Pediatric Surgeon.
If the child is 2 - 3 years - walk to the Pediatric Surgeon and start specific therapy early.

The treatment may be medicines only, or medicines with exercises for a prolapse or medicines with surgery in polyp and intussusception.

Last created on 01-04-2005
Last updated on 18-11-2006