Black stools

Black stools

What does the color of the stool indicate?

An initial assessment of your health is entirely possible through natural needs such as stomach action.

Black stool, causes

Black stools can indicate bleeding or other injuries in your gastrointestinal tract. You may also have dark, discolored bowel movements after eating dark-colored foods. Keep in mind that if the stool is black but of a normal consistency and odorless, the coloration may be due to taking iron or bismuth-containing medication.

The black color of the stool, the tarry color of the stool is quite a serious, noticeable symptom and is often associated with bleeding from the stomach or small intestine.

Blood flowing from the stomach or upper part of the intestines has a fecal, dry, and sticky effect. You may also notice an unpleasant odor during gastric emptying - the cause of the odor is blood processed by digestive enzymes. The cause of bleeding may be an ulcer, gastritis or other abnormal process.

In some clinical cases, black stools are a symptom of a serious pathology such as intestinal ischemia.

When to see a doctor?
If you do not have a medical education it is not surprising to just call dark colored stools black. That is why in case of unusual color discoloration it is always better to consult a doctor, to avoid self-diagnosis and treatment.

To timely diagnose a serious condition and prevent any possible further complications, contact your doctor immediately if you notice bloody or black stools.

Source:

https://www.healthline.com/health/bloody-or-tarry-stools