May indicate many physiological and pathological processes in the body. The color of stool is affected by diet, chronic diseases and various intestinal pathologies.

Monitoring the quality of stool can be important for self-diagnosis. Many mothers complain that their baby has black stool. Such changes can occur for several reasons.

Basics

Black stool can be a serious symptom

People often pay attention to the nature of their discharge. A change in the color of urine or stool often causes alarm and is a reason to consult a doctor. Normal stools are brown in color because the stool contains bile residues.

If food is digested faster than expected, the stool may acquire a greenish tint due to insufficient decomposition of bile. White stool may indicate blockage of the bile ducts.

In medical practice, black tarry stools are primarily associated with hemorrhage in the esophagus or. The fact is that the blood released in the upper parts of the digestive tract undergoes chemical decomposition during the digestion of food.

It takes a long time before such blood reaches. As a result, the blood turns black. In contrast, blood released in the lower intestines will have a characteristic bright red color.

Fortunately, bleeding is not the most common cause of dark stool. This color can be the result of food eaten, metabolic characteristics, or diseases. However, any change in a child's stool should be a reason for diagnosis, since the health of the digestive system is of primary importance for a growing organism.

Common Causes of Stool Discoloration

Light yellow stool is often observed in children and is considered normal.

The food eaten travels a long way in the human digestive tract. After swallowing, food substrates almost immediately end up in the stomach.

Digestion in the stomach lasts from two to three hours, after which food enters the stomach. Intestinal digestion is distinguished by its duration - food can be processed for 6 hours and subsequently deposited in the colon during the day.

Thus, consumed food turns into feces 18-36 hours after consumption. During this time, a variety of factors can affect the color of the stool.

Reasons for color change:

• Changing your diet. Eating tomatoes, beans, green leafy vegetables, and foods with food coloring may affect the color of your stool.
• Medicines. The color of the discharge can be affected by intestinal antibiotics, anticoagulants and other drugs.
• , which is characterized by watery discharge.
• . Stagnation of food masses in the colon can lead to a change in the color of the discharge due to the decomposition of individual components.
• Hemorrhoids and...
• Intestinal ischemia.
• Colon polyps.
• and gastroduodenitis.
• Inflammatory bowel diseases: ulcerative colitis.
• Cirrhosis.
• . With this disease, the intestines do not absorb gluten. The stool may be yellow and greasy.
• Intestinal injury due to ingestion of a foreign body.

The main reasons for the appearance of black stools:

1. Taking aspirin, warfarin, clopidogrel, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and bismuth preparations. Painkillers can also cause bleeding if you have a peptic ulcer.
2. Consuming licorice, blueberries and other coloring foods.
3. Taking iron supplements.
4. Lead ingestion.
5. Bleeding varicose veins of the esophagus.
6. Inflammatory diseases of the esophagus and stomach.

The listed reasons can cause not only a change in the color of stool, but also provoke the appearance of certain symptoms.

Symptoms of various conditions

Food also affects the color of stool

Black stool may not be the only sign of a digestive tract pathology. The following symptoms may also occur:

1. Abdominal pain and cramps.
2. due to increased gas formation.
3. Increased intestinal motility.
4. Profuse diarrhea with bloody inclusions.
5. and vomiting.
6. Change in stool odor.
7. Poor appetite.
8. Pain and burning in the anal area.
9. Unexpected weight loss.

Some of the listed symptoms indicate dangerous processes in the body. Immediate consultation with a doctor is required if the following symptoms are detected:

• Prolonged unexplained weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, sharp pain in the lower abdomen. These signs may indicate an oncological process in. However, colorectal cancer is rarely detected in children.
• Prolonged vomiting with bloody inclusions. Bleeding may also be indicated by vomit the color of coffee grounds. Such signs indicate hemorrhage in the upper digestive tract.
• Stopping internal bleeding is possible only in a hospital setting.

Melena

Stool can be different shades for each person

As already mentioned, the appearance of black stools may indicate bleeding in the upper digestive tract.

The red color of blood is due to iron-containing hemoglobin. Any changes in blood color are also caused by chemical changes in hemoglobin molecules.

In the stomach, digestive juices act on the blood, which can cause black stools or vomit the color of coffee grounds. Doctors call this type of stool.

It is also important to be able to distinguish signs of bleeding in different parts of the digestive tract. Blood released below the stomach may be bright red, burgundy or crimson in color. This condition is called hematochezia.

The appearance of stool of a different color is explained by the fact that in the intestine food is exposed to the influence of other enzymatic environments. Bright red or scarlet blood almost always indicates bleeding in the colon or rectum.

The appearance of black, tarry stools in the absence of bleeding is called pseudomelena. The causes of this condition are less dangerous and are most often associated with dietary patterns. For doctors, the difference between melena and pseudomelena is an important diagnostic criterion.

Causes of melena:

1. Liver pathologies.
2. Malignant tumors.
3. Dieulafoy's disease (rare disease of the stomach).
4. Erosive esophagitis or gastritis.
5. Varicose veins of the esophagus.
6. Trauma to the esophagus and stomach by a foreign object.
7. Insufficient blood supply to the intestines.
8. Peptic ulcers.
9. Mallory-Weiss syndrome.
10. Vascular anomalies of the esophagus and stomach.

Only a doctor can distinguish melena from a less dangerous anomaly.

Diagnostics

If in doubt, visit a doctor!

A change in the color of stool alone is not a sufficient diagnostic criterion for internal bleeding. The doctor will need to confirm the presence of blood in the stool using various methods.

Sometimes examination of the anal area is sufficient, but laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods are more often used.

Laboratory methods can detect even small amounts of blood in the stool. The method is called a fecal occult blood test. Special substances are used to detect blood components. To speed up diagnosis, you can collect material for analysis at home.

Black feces in a child can be a variant of the physiological norm or a sign of a serious health disorder. So, if the child does not feel deteriorated, he is active, cheerful, not apathetic and not lethargic, then black feces, most likely, is a consequence of the food eaten the day before. If black feces are combined with a deterioration in health and a rise in temperature, then the cause of this may be a serious health disorder. In such a situation, you should immediately seek medical help.

Let's look at what types of black feces occur in children of different ages.:

1. A newborn baby may pass black feces on days 2–4 of life, which is not a sign of pathology. This type of black stool is called meconium. Meconium is a paste of desquamated intestinal epithelial cells, hair, bile, mucus and amniotic fluid that was formed while the baby was in the womb because he swallowed them. Thus, the child tested his digestive system, preparing it for life outside the womb. In addition, black stool in a child may be a consequence of ingestion of blood during childbirth. Meconium is normal and occurs in all newborns. When all the desquamated cells, hair, mucus and bile that have accumulated during his life in the uterus are removed from the child’s intestines, the stool will acquire a normal appearance and color.


2. A child aged 1 year or a little earlier, when the baby is transferred to a mixed diet, may also experience black feces. In this case, the black color of the excrement is due to the consumption of foods rich in iron. Since the child previously fed on mother's milk, his intestines are not entirely adapted to absorb iron from foods common to adults. After some time, the digestion process will improve and the stool will acquire its normal color. Foods high in iron that can turn a baby's stool black include apples, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, black currants, cherries, sweet cherries, red beets, grapes, liver, etc. Juices made from iron-rich fruits and vegetables can also stain stool. However, you should not exclude these fruits from your child’s menu solely on the basis of the appearance of black feces, since this is not a pathology.


3. When a new iron-fortified formula is introduced into a child's diet, the stool may also turn black. However, this is not a cause for concern or for discontinuing the mixture.


4. When a baby is given bananas the first few times in his life, he may develop small black streaks or elongated spots in his stool. This condition is normal. As the digestive tract gets used to bananas, the stool will again become homogeneous without black elongated inclusions.


5. Vitamins containing iron or activated carbon can also turn a child's stool black. This condition is a physiological norm. After stopping the use of activated charcoal or iron-containing vitamins, the child's stool will return to its normal brown color.


6. The only pathological reason for the appearance of black stool in a child is bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. However, in this case, the child experiences not only black feces, but also a significant deterioration in health, developing vomiting, nausea, constipation, abdominal pain, fever, weakness, dizziness and fainting. In such a situation, you should immediately consult a doctor, describe all the symptoms and indicate the presence of black stool. The cause of bleeding in the digestive tract in children can be not only diseases of these organs, but also the ingestion of sharp objects, fish bones, heavy dry food, etc.

Which doctor should I contact if my child has black stool?

If a child has black feces, then his general condition should be assessed and, depending on this, action should be taken. So, if the child’s well-being is normal and, most importantly, he has not suddenly become stupid (cannot answer ordinary and familiar questions, does not orient himself in space and time, cannot bring his favorite toy if asked, etc.) , then if you have black stool, you should routinely contact pediatrician (make an appointment). Before the appointment, it is advisable to remember or write down all the food that the child ate, what vitamins and medications he took, as this will help the pediatrician understand the reason for the stool turning black.

If black feces are combined with the child’s poor health, possibly with vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, weakness, fainting, or elevated body temperature, then you should urgently call an ambulance, informing the dispatcher that internal bleeding is suspected. If you cannot call an ambulance for any reason, you should go to the nearest hospital for children as soon as possible. surgeon (make an appointment).

Parents should know that very often the first sign of internal bleeding, in addition to black feces, is not weakness, fainting and other symptoms, but the sudden dullness of the child when he cannot perform usual actions, for example, a preschool child cannot bring his favorite toy, so how he is unable to choose her and remember what she is like, and a school-age child suddenly forgets the usual and well-known way to school. If such sudden dullness appears in combination with black feces, you need to urgently call an ambulance or go to the hospital on your own to the children's surgical department.

What tests can a doctor prescribe for black stool in a child?

If a child has black stool, the doctor may prescribe the following tests and examinations to determine the causes of this phenomenon:

• General blood test. The most important indicators are hemoglobin, red blood cells, ESR and hematocrit. So, if a child has internal bleeding, then the number of red blood cells is lower than normal, the hemoglobin concentration is also reduced, the ESR, on the contrary, is increased, and the hematocrit is decreased.
• Biochemical blood test (if bleeding level
• Bronchoscopy (sign up).

In practice, if there is black stool in a child and there is a suspicion of internal bleeding, a general blood test, a biochemical blood test, and, among instrumental diagnostic methods, either an X-ray in combination with an endoscopy, or a computed tomography, are first prescribed, since these methods are quite sufficient to identify the source bleeding in the vast majority of cases. Selective mesenteric arteriography is prescribed only if esophagogastroduodenoscopy is impossible due to severe bleeding.

If all the studies have not revealed the source of blood loss, then bronchoscopy is prescribed, since black stools can be associated with bleeding in the bronchi or lungs, when the blood is swallowed by the child and ends up in the stomach, which further imitates bleeding from the digestive tract.

Black stool in a child can cause great concern on the part of his family: “Why does the child have black stool?” “Could it be internal bleeding?” “Maybe he ate something poisonous?” “Did he drink my cup of morning coffee?” - Meanwhile, the child happily jumps around the apartment and does not understand the worries of his family: “What kind of problem have they come up with for themselves?”

If the child’s behavior does not cause you any concern - he has a healthy complexion, is moderately active and does not complain about his mood - you can be sure that the cause of the child’s black stool is hidden in the food eaten the day before. But if a child’s black, liquid or hard stool is accompanied by a deterioration in his general condition, this is a good reason to seek urgent help from a specialist.

Why is he black?

Let's consider the types of black feces in a child.

1. Parents may notice the first black feces already in the newborn’s diaper somewhere on the third day of his life. This type of stool is called “meconium”. Sticky and black as tar, meconium is a mixture of digested epithelial cells, hair, mucus, bile, water and the newborn's amniotic fluid. All newborn babies pass meconium, so its appearance should not bother you. Over time, the baby's stool will acquire its usual consistency and brownish tint.

2. Black or black-green feces in a one-year-old child may be more surprising. After all, it usually has a completely different color than usual! Analyze what your child ate the day before. If his diet included fruits (apples, bananas), berries (blueberries, blackberries, currants, cherries), juices, vitamins containing large amounts of iron, do not worry, under the influence of gastric juice the iron was oxidized, and at the exit you saw unusual feces color There is nothing wrong with this and there is no reason to exclude such foods from your diet in the future.

Individual black stripes in the child's stool occur as a result of the introduction of bananas to the child's menu, and this also should not be a cause of concern.

Also remember if you gave your child activated charcoal the day before. Its effect is also accompanied by the coloring of stool black. When the course of treatment is over, the color of the stool should become normal.

3. The only case when black stool in a child should cause concern on the part of relatives is black stool as a result of internal bleeding in various parts of the digestive tract. However, in this case, in addition to staining the stool in a specific color, a deterioration in the child’s general well-being is also added. If a child has nausea, vomiting, prolonged constipation, complains of abdominal pain, dizziness, weakness, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help, since stopping internal bleeding at home is contraindicated. In this case, the change in stool color occurs due to the oxidation of iron from red blood cells.

Young children cannot accurately describe how they feel and complain that something is bothering them. Therefore, parents pay special attention to possible external manifestations of diseases that may affect their children. At the same time, behavioral changes, some skin symptoms, and even the color of stool or a change in its structure can be alarming. And if any alarming clinical picture appears, it would be a good idea to consult a doctor. Let's clarify what to do if black feces occurs in a 1-year-old child, consider the causes and treatment of such a disorder.

Black feces in children can be a variant of the physiological norm; sometimes it indicates serious health problems. When such a symptom appears, parents need to especially carefully observe the baby and assess his well-being. If the child is in full health, if the baby remains active and cheerful, and does not become lethargic and apathetic, most likely, black feces are only a physiological phenomenon. If such a symptom is accompanied by a deterioration in health and an increase in temperature, you should immediately seek medical help.

Black feces in a child - causes

In a baby around the age of one, when his diet expands, black feces are often observed. This symptom is explained by the consumption of foods containing significant amounts of iron. Since the baby previously fed on mother’s milk or formula, his gastrointestinal tract is not yet accustomed to absorbing this substance from ordinary foods. Pretty soon, digestion will improve and the stool will acquire a normal color.

Also, the causes of black feces in a one-year-old child include eating apples, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, black currants, cherries, sweet cherries, red beets and grapes. Also, such a change can be caused by the consumption of liver, etc. But there is no need to exclude them from the baby’s diet, because black feces when consumed are not a pathology.

If your baby is formula-fed and you introduce a new formula fortified with iron, the stool may also turn black. But such a phenomenon should not be considered a cause for concern either.

Including bananas in your baby's diet may cause small black streaks or elongated spots to appear in his stool. This condition is considered a variant of the norm. Once your digestive tract gets used to the new food, your stool will return to normal.

The natural coloring of a one-year-old baby's stool black can be caused by the consumption of vitamin preparations that contain iron or activated carbon. In this case, such a symptom is a physiological norm.

As for the pathological cause of black stool in a baby, it is represented by bleeding in the digestive tract. But at the same time, in addition to the abnormal coloration of the baby’s stool, he is also worried about a pronounced disturbance in his health. He may develop nausea, progressing to vomiting, and constipation is often observed. Bleeding of this kind can be manifested by fever, abdominal pain, weakness, dizziness and fainting.
Such a condition is a reason to immediately seek medical help. The doctor should describe all the unpleasant symptoms observed in the baby, and also be sure to inform about the presence of black feces.

In some cases, the stool of a one-year-old child may darken if he suffers from severe intoxication of the body.

Sometimes parents mistake the baby's dark brown stool for black stool, which is a variant of the norm. Therefore, when such a symptom appears, you should carefully examine the stool, and if in doubt, consult a doctor and take appropriate tests to detect blood in the child’s stool.

Black feces in a 1 year old child - treatment

If black stool is caused by natural factors, the child does not require any special therapy. But if the development of gastrointestinal bleeding is suspected, the baby needs targeted treatment. It depends solely on the factor that provoked the negative symptoms, and can be either conservative or surgical.

In case of gastrointestinal bleeding, children are advised to receive single-group blood transfusions and intravenous administration of drugs to restore electrolyte balance (sodium chloride and calcium chloride solutions). In parallel, ascorbic acid is used in significant dosages, vitamins PP and K.

If the bleeding does not require immediate surgery, the child is left in the hospital under observation. On the first day he cannot be fed - specialists administer intravenous infusions of glucose and saline solution. Starting from the second day of apparent well-being, the child begins to be given chilled milk, cream, eggs, butter, well-mashed vegetable puree, as well as pureed fish or meat. If the baby is still breastfed, it is a priority in terms of nutrition.

If therapeutic measures do not have a positive effect and bleeding continues, surgical intervention is performed. In this case, preference is given to minimally invasive treatment methods - for example, using laparoscopic equipment.

In most cases, gastrointestinal bleeding that can occur in one-year-old children can be successfully treated with conservative therapy.

Diarrhea is characterized by frequent loose stools, the frequency of which varies from 3 to 15 times a day. To determine the disease, pay attention to the color, consistency, smell and frequency of bowel movements. The appearance of loose stool in a child is not a rare phenomenon, because the composition of the intestinal microflora is imperfect and the immune system is weakened. The main danger of stool disorder is dehydration.

Table of contents:

With debilitating diarrhea, fluid loss occurs, especially if there is also vomiting. The water-salt balance of the child’s body is disrupted, which can be life-threatening. To preserve it, it is necessary to start treatment as early as possible. But what do parents need to know if their child has loose stools that are black in color?

Reasons for appearance

1. Meconium is a baby's original stool.
2. Taking certain medications.
3. Eating coloring foods (for example, large amounts of beets).
4. Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract due to various gastrointestinal diseases.
5. Intestinal infection.

Meconium

This is the first feces of a newborn baby. Usually within 48 hours the baby’s body is completely freed from original feces. The color of meconium varies from swamp green to black. Baby feces are sticky and odorless, and the consistency is viscous and tar-like. It contains exfoliated cells of the skin and epithelial layer of the intestines, liver and stomach secretions, amniotic fluid that the baby swallows in utero and prenatal hair.

Coloring products

In older children, certain foods eaten in large quantities cause black stool. You should not pay special attention to this if the stomach is soft and painless, does not boil, and your overall health is normal. A few days later, after taking the following foods, you may notice black diarrhea in your child:

• blood sausage or dishes containing blood;
• ripened tomatoes;
• red beets;
• chokeberry, black currant;
• prunes, blueberries, pomegranate;
• black coffee;
• red and black grapes.

If changes in the color of a child’s stool are detected, it is enough to simply remove from the diet the product that gives a black color.

Taking medications

Also, changes in the consistency and color of stool can be observed after taking certain medications. List of drugs that can turn stool black:

• activated carbon;
• iron-based medications: Sorbifer and Ferrum-Lek;
• vitamin complex containing iron: VitaMishki;
• NSAID drugs: Aspirin, Nurofen, Ibuprofen.

If a child took charcoal and iron-containing drugs, and after a few days black, loose stool appeared, then this phenomenon is considered to be the norm. But if, after taking NSAIDs, your stool becomes colored, you should start sounding the alarm. The thing is that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can cause gastric bleeding, which results in dark-colored diarrhea. In this case, you should immediately contact an ambulance, telling them in detail about the dosage of the drug and the appearance of such stool.

Gastrointestinal diseases and bleeding

Black diarrhea can be caused by non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases:

• peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
• tumor of the esophagus or stomach;
• polyps on the organs of the upper gastrointestinal tract;
• diverticula in the small intestine;
• erosive, ulcerative esophagitis and gastritis caused by injury and irritation;
• varicose veins in the esophagus;

Coloring stools dark has a name. Medically it is referred to as stool “melena” or “coffee grounds” vomit. This is explained by the fact that during gastric and intestinal bleeding, the blood is exposed to food enzymes. This symptom indicates serious abnormalities in the body and require immediate intervention. To make a correct diagnosis, a colonoscopy or FEGDS is performed.

Intestinal infection

The last reason for staining and loose stools is an acute intestinal infection. These include the following diseases:

• salmonellosis;
• typhoid fever.

With intestinal infections, vomiting, high body temperature, pain and gurgling in the abdomen are observed along with diarrhea.

Diagnosis of gastrointestinal tract organs

Before making a correct diagnosis and finding out the causes of black stool, the doctor conducts a comprehensive examination. The first step is to take stool for occult blood and blood for clinical analysis. After receiving the results, the specialist identifies the intensity of bleeding and the presence of anemia.

If bleeding is detected in the gastrointestinal tract, endoscopy will be performed to accurately detect the affected area. Using a long, flexible endoscope tube, the doctor can visualize the stomach and duodenum, as well as part of the colon and rectum.

Other methods can be used to detect the causes and location of blood loss:

• radiography;
• vascular angiography;
• scintigraphy.

Treatment

If a child's stool is black in the first two days of his life, there is no need to worry about it and treat it. This is an indicator of the norm - meconium, which will be replaced by yellow feces on the third day.

When staining feces with food, you should also not pay attention. It is enough to simply remove the coloring vegetable or fruit from the diet, and the stool will acquire its usual color and consistency.

For gastrointestinal diseases or the presence of an intestinal infection, treatment at home is unacceptable. Antibacterial, healing and hemostatic agents are prescribed, as well as a strict diet.

Complications

If left untreated, black diarrhea can lead to a number of serious complications:

• anemia;
• dehydration (dehydration or exicosis);
• large blood loss;
• hemorrhagic shock.

Anemia is a pathological condition characterized by a lack of iron in the body. With anemia, fainting, general weakness and lethargy, pale skin, shortness of breath and tachycardia are often observed.

Dehydration is a pathological condition that is associated with a decrease in water in the body below normal. With dehydration, dry skin and mucous membranes, extreme thirst, decreased urine production, drowsiness, general weakness, decreased appetite or anorexia are observed.

Extensive blood loss is distinguished by its clinical manifestations: a decrease in pressure to 90 mm. rt. Art, rapid pulse (beat frequency about 120), pallor of the skin and mucous membranes, rapid breathing, clouding of consciousness and blurred vision. The volume of lost blood can reach up to 2 liters.

Hemorrhagic shock is a critical condition that develops due to large blood loss. The main symptoms of GS are pallor of the skin and visible mucous membranes, cold sticky sweat, rapid heartbeat and a sharp decrease in blood pressure (below 60 mm Hg), loss of consciousness. If help (blood transfusion) is not provided in time, the person dies.

Traditional medicine

It is not recommended to delay going to the doctor if a child has melena. But what to do if there is no way to urgently seek help? The use of traditional medicine recipes at home can only be used as an emergency method to stop diarrhea before arriving at the hospital.

Recipes are allowed for children at least 3 years old.

1. Finely chop or grate the cucumber stems remaining after harvesting vegetables. Then pour 100 grams of the resulting mass with 0.5 liters of boiling water and cook in an enamel bowl for 5 minutes. Then turn off the gas and let stand covered for another 60 minutes. Filter the resulting broth and take 75 ml three times a day half an hour before meals.
2. Finely chop the horsetail leaves and pour a glass of boiling water. Let stand for 2-3 hours, strain and take a tablespoon orally every 10-15 minutes.

Prevention of black diarrhea

Preventing diseases of the esophagus, stomach and intestines is not difficult. To do this, you need to follow simple rules every day:

1. Follow the rules of personal hygiene: washing your hands after walking, visiting public places, using the toilet and before eating. It is also necessary to treat children's toys with antiseptic or disinfectants, and wash fruits and vegetables before eating.
2. Teach your child to eat properly: you should give up sweets, fast foods, and sweet carbonated drinks.
3. Boil all children's dishes, as well as those appliances that are used to prepare food for the baby.
4. Monitor the expiration dates of products and medicines and follow the rules for their storage. Do not consume spoiled products or food.
5. For the purpose of prevention, undergo a complete examination of all family members for gastrointestinal diseases and intestinal infections.