Answers
Is blood in the stool always piles?
Short answer
No. Piles and fissures are the most common causes of bright red blood, but polyps, inflammation of the bowel and colon cancer can bleed too. Any rectal bleeding should be checked once by a doctor, at any age.
Common causes
- Piles: bright red blood on the paper or in the pan, usually painless
- Fissure: bleeding with sharp pain while passing stool
- Polyps or colon cancer: often no pain, sometimes dark or mixed blood
- Colitis or IBD: blood with loose motions or mucus
Signs that need a colonoscopy
- Age over 45 with new bleeding
- Change in bowel habit for more than 3 weeks
- Weight loss, tiredness or anaemia
- A close relative with colon cancer
- Blood mixed with stool, or dark red blood
Black stools are different
Black, sticky, tar-like stools usually mean bleeding higher up, from the stomach. With weakness or dizziness, this is an emergency.
Why it is worth checking
Colon cancer is increasingly seen in younger adults. Caught early, or as a polyp, it can be removed during a colonoscopy, often without surgery.