From this article you will learn: what is intestinal bleeding. Causes and treatment.
Contents of the article:
- Causes of pathology
- Symptoms of intestinal bleeding
- Diagnosis
- Treatment of intestinal bleeding
- Forecast for
Disease Intestinal bleeding is the secretion of blood into the lumen of the small or large intestine. Blood is excreted from the damaged intestinal wall and sooner or later leaves the body naturally by defecation. And the nature of the blood in the stool will be very different depending on or localization or "height" of the site of damage to the mucosa. The higher the discharge of blood in the gastrointestinal tract, the more altered blood will be in the stool. It is because of the unusual appearance and color of the stool that the patient can suspect that something is wrong with the intestines.
Intestinal bleeding is only a symptom or manifestation of a particular disease, some of which are deadly. That is why the slightest suspicion of the discharge of blood from the intestine should be the reason for contacting a doctor. The primary link in diagnosis is most often a therapist who, as necessary, directs the patient to a surgeon, proctologist, gastroenterologist or oncologist.
The prognosis of the disease depends entirely on the massiveness of the bleeding, as well as the immediate cause of this condition. In some cases, the disease can pass without a trace, and sometimes - threatens the life of the patient. Approximately in 60-70% of the causes of gastrointestinal bleeding is peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum - without immediate help, such conditions can kill a patient's life in a matter of hours.
Causes of Intestinal Bleeding
The main causes of the flow of blood from the intestine:
- Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum is the most common cause of the appearance of altered blood in the stool.
- Diseases of the rectum: anal fissure, hemorrhoids.
- Gut trauma: the rectum may be injured by falling or by a foreign object. The rest of the gastrointestinal tract can be damaged by foreign objects, accidentally or specially ingested by the patient: needles, pins, blades and so on.
- Special group of inflammatory bowel diseases: Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease and others.
- Infectious diseases of the intestines caused by a special group of intestinal microbes: dysentery, shigellosis, typhoid fever.
- Oncological diseases of the intestine: bowel cancer of different localization.
The formation of polyps( abnormal tissue proliferation) can also cause intestinal bleeding Symptoms of intestinal bleeding
With massive bleeding, the picture of the disease is so bright that the diagnosis of such a condition is not difficult. The situation is worse with the diagnosis of rare and minor bleeding.
We list the symptoms of intestinal bleeding.
Direct detection of blood in the chair
Doctors call this blood fresh, because its appearance is not changed. Fresh blood usually covers the feces surface or is allocated simultaneously with the stool. This symptom is typical for diseases of the lower parts of the large intestine of the rectum. Hemorrhoids, anus fracture, rectal cancer and rectum inflammation - proctitis - are often accompanied by the appearance of fresh blood in the stool.
Blood stagnant blood stains
The blood retains its appearance, however it is already mixed with feces or has the appearance of veins. This symptom is also characteristic of diseases of the large intestine, however, more "high" parts of the large intestine are affected: the blind and sigmoid colon.
The cause may be colon cancer and a special group of colon inflammatory diseases - colitis, including Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis( NUC).Also, blood in the stool can occur against the background of some infectious diseases - dysentery and shigellosis.
Changes in color, odor and consistency of stool
Cal acquires a liquid or mushy consistency, black color, "varnished" surface and a very characteristic offensive odor. Doctors call this chair a tar-like feces or melena. This chair arises from the fact that the enzyme systems of the stomach and intestines "digest" the blood, secreting from it the iron, which determines the same black as tar, the color. This is one of the most characteristic symptoms of gastric or intestinal bleeding, accompanying peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, as well as malignant neoplasms of these sections of the gastrointestinal tract.
There is a small nuance - melena can accompany not only gastrointestinal bleeding, but also the flow of blood from the oral cavity, esophagus, nasopharynx and upper respiratory tract. In this case, the patient simply swallows the blood, which passes all the same enzymatic reactions in the stomach and intestines.
The second nuance is that feces can acquire a darker shade when taking certain products and medicines: raw meat, activated carbon, bismuth and iron preparations. This feature is described in the section "Side Effects" of each drug, but it still scares patients. In fact, such stools are fundamentally different from true melena, primarily lack of odor and lacquered luster.
Abdominal pain
Abdominal pains often accompany the initial period of the condition. Pain syndrome has its own characteristics depending on the root cause and the localization of bleeding:
- with bleeding duodenal ulcers pain is very strong and sharp;
- for oncological diseases of the intestine - dull and unstable;
- with ulcerative colitis - migratory, cramping;
- for dysentery - an accompanying urge to defecate.
Weight loss
Weight loss is also a very characteristic symptom that accompanies intestinal bleeding. This is due to the constant loss of iron and nutrients with blood, as well as disruption of the functioning of the damaged intestine. The destruction of the intestinal mucosa disrupts the absorption of nutrients from food.
Anemia of
Anemia or anemia is a decrease in the level of red blood cells of erythrocytes and hemoglobin. Because of blood loss, the body does not have time to restore iron reserves and synthesize a new hemoglobin and erythrocytes. With massive flow of blood, anemia arises sharply and leads to disruption in all organs and tissues. With periodic loss of small amounts of blood, anemia develops slowly. Such latent anemia also harm human health, reduce its efficiency and resistance to other diseases.
Anemia can be diagnosed by a general blood test, but by indirect evidence: paleness of the skin and mucous membranes, weakness, drowsiness, dizziness, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat - tachycardia.
Digestion disorder
Digestive disorders are not direct signs of intestinal bleeding, however they are often accompanied. It can be diarrhea, constipation, bloating, increased gas production, nausea and vomiting.
fever Increased temperature is typical for some diseases that accompany intestinal bleeding: dysentery, shigellosis, NJC, Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases.
Paraneoplastic syndrome
In case of cancers of the intestine, a special symptom complex can develop - paraneoplastic syndrome, that is, a list of symptoms accompanying any malignant process: weakness, dizziness, absence or perversion of appetite, sleep and memory disorders, pruritus and unclear rashes, specific changes in the pictureblood test.
Diagnostic measures for intestinal bleeding
It is very important to recognize this condition in time, because even small blood losses significantly impair the patient's performance and quality of life. We list the mandatory minimum of studies for intestinal bleeding.
Endoscopic diagnosis of
Colonoscopy - isolated or in combination with fibrogastroscopy - is an examination of the internal surface of the gastrointestinal tract with the help of an endoscope. The endoscope is a long, thin and flexible tube equipped with a fiber optic system and connected to the monitor screen. The tube can be inserted through the mouth or through the patient's anus. During endoscopy, you can not only identify the source of bleeding, but also "prizhech" this place or put on it metal brackets with special nozzles, as well as take a suspicious bleeding site of the mucosa for biopsy and subsequent examination under a microscope.
Colonoscopy X-ray methods
Radiographic examination of the intestine is performed with a passage of barium. This rather old method of research is partially replaced by endoscopy. However, the X-ray remains informative, especially in cases where endoscopy is impossible for technical and physiological reasons.
The method is that the patient receives a solution of barium salt in the form of drinking or enema. The barium solution is perfectly visible on the x-ray. It tightly fills the lumen of the intestine, repeating its internal relief. Thus, one can see the characteristic changes in the mucosa of the digestive tract and suggest the cause of bleeding.
Microscopic examination of
Histological or microscopic examination of mucosal fragments obtained. With the help of a biopsy, it is possible to confirm or refute malignant formations, as well as various inflammatory bowel diseases. Histology is the gold standard for the diagnosis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Rectoscopy
This is an examination of the rectum with the help of a finger method or a special rectal mirror. This is a quick and easy way to detect abnormal hemorrhoidal veins, cracks and tumors of the rectum.
Rectoscope - a tool with which the doctor conducts the examination of the rectum Laboratory diagnostics
- A blood test for monitoring the level of hemoglobin, erythrocytes and platelets. The first two indicators give information about the nature and massiveness of blood loss, and the level of platelets will indicate individual patient problems with blood coagulability.
- Stool analysis for various parameters: microbial composition for intestinal infections, undigested fiber residues, and occult blood feces analysis. The latter analysis is extremely important for the diagnosis of rare and minor bleeding, when those small amounts of lost blood do not change the appearance of stools in any way. Such an analysis is performed with clinical symptoms of intestinal bleeding and with any unclear anemia.
- Special blood tests for antibodies to various infectious and nonspecific bowel diseases.
Treatment of intestinal bleeding
The speed, duration and aggressiveness of therapy directly depend on the massive bleeding, as well as on its underlying cause.
- Massive discharge of blood from any part of the intestine, which threatens the patient's life, is subject to immediate surgical treatment. First of all, the blood is tried to stop by endoscopic methods: cauterization or the imposition of staples or clips on a bleeding vessel. If it is impossible or ineffective, such a sparing treatment, doctors go to open surgery. Such surgical treatment is urgent.
- Replenishment of blood volume by transfusion of components of donor blood or blood substitute solutions. Such actions are absolutely necessary to stabilize the patient's condition after massive bleeding.
- Planned surgical treatment assumes a certain amount of surgical intervention in the preliminary preparation of the patient. Such planned operations include surgical treatment of hemorrhoids, removal of intestinal polyps or tumors, plasty of ulcerative defects of the stomach or duodenum.
- Drug stop bleeding with hemostatic or hemostatic drugs: tranexam, etamzilate, aminocaproic acid, calcium gluconate and others. Such treatment is used only with minor bleeding.
- Treatment of the immediate cause of bleeding: this includes strict diet and antiulcer therapy, specific treatment of ulcerative colitis, antibiotic therapy for intestinal infections. In these cases, curing or at least stabilizing the cause of bleeding completely eliminates blood loss.
- The reception of iron preparations to restore the level of hemoglobin and treat anemia is indicated to all patients after intestinal bleeding.
Haemostatic drug Traneksam Prognosis for the disease
Prognosis with correct and timely treatment of intestinal bleeding is safe.
The highest level of mortality and severe health consequences are caused by intestinal bleeding from gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Also very unfavorable is the prognosis for the life of a patient with bleeding from a disintegrating cancerous intestinal tumor. Such a cancer is often neglected and not subject to radical cure.
