What causes black stool?

Everyone should have a scientific understanding of what black stool means, because some of the most common digestive tract diseases nowadays are likely to manifest as black stool, or other abnormal colors. Only after knowing what is going on can you provide symptomatic treatment.

1. Digestive tract diseases: The most common cause of bloody stools, including esophageal varices, esophageal foreign bodies, ulcer disease, acute gastritis, gastric mucosal prolapse, intussusception, hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis, strangulated intestinal obstruction, Meckel's diverticulum, intestinal polyps, anal fissures, etc.

2. Blood diseases: neonatal hemorrhagic disease, hemophilia, leukemia, aplastic anemia, thrombocytopenia and allergic purpura, etc.

3. Other systemic infectious diseases , such as sepsis, typhoid fever, etc., newborns swallowing blood from the mother's birth canal or ruptured nipples, swallowing of bleeding from the nose, pharynx, and gums, etc.

4. Influence of food or medicine: Certain foods and medicines can also cause changes in stool color, which can sometimes be easily confused with blood in the stool. For example, eating a lot of watermelon and tomatoes in the summer can make the stool turn red. The stool of children with anemia can turn black after taking iron supplements. The stool can also turn black after eating animal blood. These changes in stool color caused by food and medicine do not constitute bloody stools.