Black feces: when does it appear and what to do with it? Why is stool black, for what diseases is a change in stool color a signal for emergency medical help?

In almost all cases, human feces are characterized by a brown color with varying shades. The pigment stercobilin has a decisive influence on the color of stool: at a high level of its concentration, a darker shade is observed, at a low level, a light shade is observed. If black stool occurs under the influence of medications or various foods, there is no harm to human health and no medical procedures are required. Normalization of stool is carried out within a few days by refusing the food that provoked this condition. Due to the fact that darkening the color of feces can be a symptom of a serious disease, it is necessary to understand why feces are black and under what diseases it is formed.

Causes of dark stools in adults

The most dangerous cause of black stool in humans is presence of bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract . In this case, due to the influence of acids and bacteria on hemoglobin, the stool is colored dark. If a person is diagnosed with a gastrointestinal disease or there are no other reasons, an urgent need to call an ambulance.

The appearance of dark-colored stools can be closely related to the consumption of large amounts of foods that contain a high content of coloring fat-soluble substances. Such food products include liver, tomatoes, prunes, etc.

When black stools suddenly appear, the key reason for the phenomenon lies in gastrointestinal problems. The idea that stool should contain blood is false. This is a misleading opinion, since blood is processed together with food under the influence of various enzymes and bacteria.

In the presented case, black stool is not the only manifestation of a problem with the gastrointestinal tract.

The following phenomena are also observed:

• High body temperature;
• Nausea;
• Vomit;
• The skin becomes pale;
• Pain in the stomach area.

A low hemoglobin level based on the results of a general blood test, including the determination of occult blood based on the results of a stool test, is evidence of the presence of internal bleeding.

Causes of black stool in women

The appearance of black feces in women has the same reasons as in men. They can be divided into two main types - physiological and pathological. The list of reasons related to physiology includes the intake of certain foods, activated carbon, medications and iron supplements.

The appearance of black feces under the influence of the factors presented above is not dangerous for a woman. If you stop using the appropriate products and medications, the stool color normalizes.

However, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the occurrence of black stools under the influence of medications, including deterioration in health, is a cause for concern and consultation with a doctor.

Other factors that cause women's stool to become black are the influence of pathological causes. In other words, the occurrence of the presented symptom is associated with the action of a disease or pathological condition. Black feces are a symptom of the disease.

Black feces during pregnancy

During pregnancy, most women experience a lack of vitamins and minerals that are required for the proper development of the fetus. Quite often during and after the second trimester of pregnancy, the development of iron deficiency anemia is observed. In this regard, they need to take multivitamin preparations with minerals that contain iron.

It is due to the presented preparations containing iron that black feces are formed. In this case, there is no justified reason to panic. On the contrary, the appearance of black feces indicates that the product is of high quality and contains all the required substances for both the expectant mother and the child.

Excess iron is excreted from the body in the form of black stool, and some of it is absorbed.

In addition, the cause of this phenomenon is gastrointestinal bleeding. In such a situation, especially in the presence of a peptic ulcer, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Black spots in the stool of an adult

In addition to the appearance of black feces, a person may experience the appearance of black spots in the feces. Dark inclusions can be presented as grains, threads, grains and grains of sand. In most cases, the appearance of blackheads is associated with the presence of incompletely or completely undigested solid parts of food or medicine.

Black spots or thread-like inclusions in stool can occur as a result of eating certain foods. For example, when children eat berries and bananas, small black strings often appear.

Cases of mandatory consultation with a doctor

Despite the fact that the occurrence of the phenomenon in question does not act as a serious illness, in some cases it is still necessary to seek medical help from an experienced specialist.
The list of such cases includes:

1. Vomiting and fever, which are observed with the appearance of dark stool;
2. Peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum;
3. Detection of anemia;
4. Liver cirrhosis or hepatitis;
5. Stomach or intestinal cancer.

What measures need to be taken?

As practical activity shows, determining the cause of black feces precedes the implementation of measures to treat it. If there is a connection between the occurrence of black feces under the influence of drugs, treatment is not required. If it is necessary to stop the medication treatment process, including not consuming coloring foods, black stool color is not a negative symptom for the body.

Black stool is not dangerous, however, it can be a signal of significant problems in the body, and in some cases may indicate the presence of a condition that can lead to death.

Thus, we have determined why stool is black and in what diseases this occurs. In this regard, a person must constantly monitor what food he eats, the effect of medications, and most importantly, his state of health.

Evidence suggests that black stool caused by food and medications is not dangerous. However, if additional signs are present, it may indicate an existing disease.

Video: consequences of black feces

In a healthy adult, the color of stool is brown, with variations in shades. The color is due to the presence of stercoblin pigment; depending on its concentration, the color can be darker or lighter.

This indicator is greatly influenced by diet, as well as taking certain medications, especially those that contain iron. Unnatural greenish-black, red, gray and other shades are signs of the presence of ulcers, pancreatitis, hepatitis and other diseases.

If you detect dark stool, you need to carefully analyze your diet over the past few days. Black stool resulting from the use of medications and foods does not cause any harm to health and does not require treatment.

Within a few days, the color of the stool should normalize, provided that provoking foods are excluded from the diet. In this article we will determine whether black feces are a sign of something dangerous in an adult or not.

Why black stool occurs: dangerous reasons

What does it mean? Black stool is a characteristic symptom of bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Hemoglobin is exposed to acids and bacteria, which turns the stool black. If you have a diagnosed gastrointestinal disease or there are no other reasons for your stool turning black, call an ambulance immediately.

What causes black stool in adults?

In a healthy person, black feces may appear due to the fact that he has eaten large quantities of foods that contain a coloring fat-soluble substance. These include:

• blood sausage;
• liver;
• Red beetroot;
• meat products containing an admixture of animal blood;
• tomatoes;
• black currant;
• prunes.

In adults, this phenomenon can also be observed after consuming:

• chokeberry;
• blueberries;
• red grapes;
• grenade;
• red wine with added dyes.

Effect of medications

You should not think that in this case the feces must contain blood: in the digestive tract, blood is processed by enzymes and bacteria along with food, coagulates and changes color from red to black.

Typically, this cause of black stool is not accompanied by this symptom alone. ABOUT internal problems may also indicate one of the accompanying conditions of a person:

• temperature;
• nausea;
• vomit;
• pale skin;
• cold profuse sweat;
• enlarged and painful liver;
• stomach pain.

Also, internal bleeding may be indicated by the detection of occult blood during a stool test. If any of these symptoms occur in combination with the appearance of black stools, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Black stool during pregnancy, why?

As for pregnant women, all multivitamin complexes for pregnant women contain iron, which colors the stool. This is considered normal and does not require additional measures.

At the same time, doctors assure that this is how excess iron leaves the body, so you should not stop taking vitamins. The body simply absorbs the amount that mother and child need, and sends the excess to waste. In the following article you will learn why incontinence occurs. Therefore, if no other symptoms are observed, then there is no need to worry, and in order to calm yourself down, you just need to stop taking vitamins for a couple of days and make sure that your stool returns to normal.

It’s another matter if black feces during pregnancy are not associated with vitamins. In this case, you need to urgently consult a doctor to get all the necessary tests.

What to do with such a problem?

Of course, before starting any therapeutic measures, you should find out why the stool turned black.

If the dark color of the stool is associated with the nature of the diet or taking medications, then there is no need for therapeutic measures. Also, you should not stop treatment with medications and exclude coloring products, because a change in stool color in this situation does not lead to any negative effect on the body.

Black stool itself is not dangerous. But it can signal serious problems in the body, even conditions that can lead to death in the absence of timely help.

On the other hand, everything is often explained by the banal consumption of certain foods, which color the feces in an unusual color. In any case, you shouldn’t “disdain” studying the state of your own stool, and even more so you shouldn’t ignore its changes.

Nature is wise - she has provided a whole system of signals and markers that should make a person think about whether everything is okay with him.

What does black-green stool mean?

Black-green feces always indicate trouble in the human body. Thus, liquid black-green stool (diarrhea) most often indicates an intestinal infection or other infectious disease. Very often, dysentery begins with black-green diarrhea.

Such black-green diarrhea at the very beginning of the development of the disease may not be combined with a rise in temperature, abdominal pain, nausea and other symptoms of infection. But gradually, the listed clinical symptoms of infection will join the liquid stool, colored black and green.

Therefore, as soon as a person notices the discharge of black-green liquid stool, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help and not wait for the temperature to appear, since the condition will worsen in the future, and the infectious disease will still require treatment.

What do black dots in stool mean?

Black dots in stool look like inclusions, grains, thin threads, grains or grains of sand. All these options are usually called black dots. Such clear black inclusions in stool are almost always partially digested or completely undigested solid particles of food or medications.

So, kiwi seeds, raspberries, currants, pieces of grape seeds, particles of seed husks, poppy seeds, etc. can appear as black dots in feces.

The following foods most often lead to the appearance of black spots in the stool of children and adults:

• persimmon;
• banana;
• apple;
• kiwi.

For example, when eating bananas, small black threads that look like worms may appear in the stool; this is especially common in children.

Preparation, the process of defecation itself and the final result are a delicate topic, but relevant for discussion. Feces of suspicious consistency, color, shape can make a completely healthy person run to the hospital in panic, while others are not bothered by the question of what it means.

If you see black feces at the bottom of the toilet, analyze why it is black and what it might be connected with. There are many reasons for this phenomenon; sometimes they are harmless and natural, but sometimes they can become an alarming sign of a disease.

Norms of color, shape, consistency of stool

In a healthy person who does not have digestive problems, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, leading a healthy lifestyle - the following standards related to the process of defecation are established:

• Quantity and quality. The excretion of feces should occur 1-2 times a day, every day, but at least 3 times a week, provided that you are in good health. Discharge occurs easily and painlessly, the daily amount ranges from 200-400 grams. No stool for more than 72 hours - constipation, bowel movements more than 3-4 times a day - diarrhea.
• Form. According to the “Bristol scale”, feces having a cylindrical, rounded shape are the norm; inclusions of undigested food and cracks on the surface are observed.
• Consistency - dense, but soft, shaped.
• The smell is unpleasant, but not pungent; normally it should not be putrid or sour.
• Color. In an adult, healthy person who is on a balanced diet, the color of stool varies from light to dark shades of brown.

Factors affecting the color of feces

There are many reasons for the change in color of stool and it depends on what you eat, drink or take as a medicine, unless associated symptoms are observed.

One of the main causes of constipation and diarrhea is use of various medications. To improve bowel function after taking medications, you need to do it every day. drink a simple remedy ...

Causes of black stools that do not require treatment

Before you start worrying about the color of your stool, think about what could be causing this phenomenon, consider the food you drank and ate the day before. Eating large amounts of certain fruits, vegetables, and drinks significantly affects the black color of feces.

These dye products include:

Children's surprise black

Do not worry if you see black-green liquid feces on the diaper of a newborn baby; this is nothing more than meconium - original feces.

The baby's first feces, consisting of digested in the womb:

• amniotic fluid;
• epithelial cells;
• bile;
• prenatal hair;
• leaves the intestines within two to three days of birth.

In older children, the appearance of a black “surprise” in the pot may be associated with the popular dietary supplement Hematogen, used to prevent anemia.

Modern milk formulas, cereals and their vitamin complexes, including iron, may well give the stool a dark tint.

If the child feels great, jumps, runs, eats and sleeps well, then an attack in the form of black feces should not bother you. If the baby’s general condition worsens, body temperature rises, nausea and vomiting occur - Seek medical help immediately!

Black stool in pregnant women

The “interesting position” does not affect the color changes in the stool of the woman who is in it.

The culprits are vitamins, namely their excessive amounts contained in the above-mentioned berries and fruits, which expectant mothers now eat “for two.”

Anemia in pregnant women is a common occurrence, so an iron supplement prescribed at a doctor’s appointment indicates a change in stool from the usual brown to unexpected black.

How does taking medication affect the color of stool?

When taking this or that medicine, it is advisable to carefully read the instructions for the drug, side symptoms, what can happen in case of overdose, and more.

The most well-known medications that affect the appearance of black stool include:

• - enterosorbent, which has an antidiarrheal, cleansing effect on the intestines, removing toxins and poisons from the body, coloring feces black.
• Iron preparations (Maltofer, Orferon, Ektofer, Monofer, etc.) - prescribed for iron deficiency anemia.
• Multivitamin complexes containing iron (Vitrum, Elevit, Multi-Tabs).
• Medicines for gastrointestinal diseases, antiulcer drugs containing bismuth oxide (,).

What diseases cause black feces?

You should start sounding the alarm when black stool occurs in a combination of the following symptoms:

• Nausea, vomiting, vomit with;
• Fever, high or low blood pressure;
• Dizziness and numbness of the limbs;
• Intoxication of the body after alcohol.

The combination of these signs may indicate serious illness and means immediate medical attention.

Video:

The presence of black stools indicates the presence of a serious disease or bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. That is why you should not ignore this problem, and you should not lose sight of other symptoms that appear. Food can also create a black color, but in any case, a visit to a specialist is necessary, since he will be able to understand the situation in detail. It’s better to play it safe and go for an examination than to convince yourself that everything is normal and start problems. In this article we will look at the question: if the stool is black, what does it mean?

Black feces: causes and possible diseases

The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is interconnected with the color of stool, consistency, and frequency of stool. There is a standard for these indicators. So, stool is normal when the color ranges from yellow-brown to dark brown. If the stool is black, this indicates a problem.

Faced with a similar phenomenon, many begin to worry. But first, it’s better to remember what foods were consumed the day before, since it is quite possible that the reason for the black color of stool lies in the consumption of certain foods.

So, let's look at the possible reasons for black stool and what it means.

Reason 1

Black stool is associated with eating large amounts of dark and black foods, which may change the color of the stool but not the consistency or frequency of the stool. If you stop using these products, then within a couple of days the normal color will be restored.

Important! Sometimes stool has a liquid consistency, for example, eating prunes not only causes staining, but also contributes to weakening.

Reason 2

The use of certain drugs also causes color changes:

• When using activated carbon, stool becomes dark in color.
• When using iron supplements, oxidation occurs in the stomach and intestines, which contributes to the dark color.
• Preparations that contain bismuth also cause stool coloration.

Important! Canceling medications helps normalize color.

Reason 3

Black stool indicates bleeding in the esophagus or stomach. In the stomach, the process of blood oxidation occurs, mixing with bile, which is located in the duodenum, and coloring the stool black. This is an alarm bell that requires immediate hospitalization.

Bleeding can also be caused by:

• varicose veins of the esophagus;
• esophageal injuries;
• malignant tumors;
• ulcer.

Important! In addition to black stool, the bleeding process is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and weakness.

Reason 4

Chronic constipation causes discoloration of stool, which may be black. Constipation occurs as a result of poor diet or medication use. Very often constipation accompanies bedridden patients.

Black feces during pregnancy

What does black stool mean during pregnancy?

Important! Any assumptions about bleeding during a woman’s pregnancy are a threatening factor for the expectant mother and child. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion, you must immediately contact a specialist for qualified advice and solution to an important problem.

The presence of black stool does not always indicate bleeding or a serious illness. A woman who is carrying a child is subjected to examination for the purpose of prevention, since very often the cause of black stool is hormonal changes:

• During the first trimester of pregnancy, the expectant mother’s body is rebuilt, and it is for this reason that all sorts of disorders in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract arise.
• A woman's pregnancy causes increased levels of progesterone. The presence of this hormone provokes frequent urination, affects mood swings, and causes nausea.

In case of bleeding, black color of stool indicates the initial symptom, the next step is anemia and other disorders, which are instantly visible with regular examination and blood tests.

Important! If black stool is accompanied by an increase in temperature, severe weakness, pale complexion, nausea and vomiting, then you should immediately contact a specialist.

There are cases when black stool occurs when a pregnant woman is being treated for constipation. Decreased smooth muscle tone contributes to constipation, which causes discomfort to the expectant mother from the first months of pregnancy.

Constipation causes hemorrhoids and other problems, so pregnant women actively consume prunes, grapes, currants, blueberries, drink a lot of dried fruit compotes and include a large amount of vegetables and fruits in their diet. As a result, constipation disappears, but colored black stool appears. If you reduce the use of dark fruits and vegetables, the color of stool normalizes.

What if the disease appeared in adults?

Changes in the color of feces in healthy adults, unless other symptoms are present, should not cause panic or concern. In this case, black feces may indicate the use of coloring products.

There is a list of dye products that can change the color of stool:

• dishes that contain a large number of calories;
• dry red or fortified wine;
• sausage made from blood;
• bloody meat, liver;
• currants, blueberries and blackberries, as well as juices from these berries;
• dark grapes, chokeberry, drinking juices from them;
• prunes;
• iron-containing substances such as bananas, apples, persimmons, pomegranates;
• tomatoes, beets;
• drinking large amounts of strong coffee or black tea.

You need to analyze your own food intake over the last couple of days:

• If you exclude, in your opinion, suspicious vegetables and fruits, the color of the excrement will return to normal within a day.
• If there is no change in the color of the stool for about three days, then food preferences are not the cause of the black color.

Sometimes long black fibrous patches are visible in the stool. This could be undigested banana remains, but you need to be sure that it is not a helminthic infestation.

Important! When using anti-inflammatory drugs or heartburn medications, it is also possible that the color of the stool may change, turning black. This is not a reason to stop taking medications, since the temporary effect wears off after completion of the course of treatment.

In addition to color, you need to pay attention to the consistency of feces. The cause of liquid black stool can be:

• improper digestion process;
• intoxication of the body;
• presence of diseases.

Important! The appearance of liquid black stool should be a reason to contact a specialist - and the sooner the better.

How to deal with this problem in children?

The presence of black stool in children causes great anxiety and concern among parents. If this happens, then it is necessary to monitor the child’s condition.

Important! If the baby is active, has a normal body temperature and nothing bothers him, then the black color of the stool is caused by the food he eats, so there is no need to worry too much.

Black feces in children means one of the following factors is present:

• The first days of a child's life are accompanied by black stool. This is a normal physiological process. While in the womb, the baby had to constantly come into contact with amniotic fluid, mucus and other substances, and constantly swallow them. After birth, the baby’s stomach is cleansed and all this comes out along with black feces.
• Black stool appears when a baby switches from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding. This situation is normal, everything will return to normal in a few days.
• Bananas can also cause black stool. When a child first encounters such a fruit, a similar reaction may occur, but after a few days the body gets used to it and the stool returns to normal.
• There is a lot of iron in baby formulas. Eating this kind of food can cause black stools to appear, so don’t worry, because after a few weeks the stool will normalize.
• Taking iron-containing vitamins may cause black stool. Knowing the reason, you should not stop using this drug.
• The most common cause of black stool is the food you eat. You need to remember what the child ate. Apples, bananas, grapes, red or black currants, blueberries, blackberries, tomatoes, beets or liver dishes can cause black stools.

Important! If your baby has a high temperature, complains of feeling unwell, or shows signs of nausea, with black stool, then you need to immediately contact a qualified specialist.

There are many factors that can contribute to changes in the color of stool:

• Using regular foods, children experience the usual dark brown color of excrement.
• If a child eats vegetarian food, the color of the stool becomes light brown.
• When using a milk diet, a pale brown or pale yellow tint of feces is observed.
• The consumption of meat products is characterized by the black-brown color of the stool.
• The use of sorrel and spinach causes a greenish tint to the stool.
• Excessive consumption of pork is characterized by a reddish tint to the feces.
• The use of various berries - blueberries, blackberries, black currants - contributes to the black and black-brown color of excrement.
• The use of iron-containing preparations promotes black color with a greenish tint to the stool.
• The use of bismuth is characterized by the presence of black color of feces.

You need to very carefully introduce complementary foods to your baby, while following general recommendations. Eating too sour, sweet or heavy foods can harm the developing intestines and cause serious pathologies. It is better to resist the temptation to let your child try a new food product ahead of time, and prevent the development of liver and stomach problems.

Important! You should never self-medicate. Taking seemingly harmless medications can harm the entire body. It is better to entrust the care of your baby to qualified specialists.

What does this symptom mean for older people?

What does black stool indicate in older people? The stool of older people is darker than that of the younger generation. This is a normal phenomenon and does not require any treatment.

However, the following points must be taken into account:

• Bedridden patients have a slow metabolic process, and therefore, a change in the color of the stool may also occur.
• The appearance of black feces in older people is characterized by a very likely sign of gastrointestinal bleeding or a “shutdown” of vital organs occurs, and an inability to properly consume food is manifested.

Important! If an elderly person has black stool, diarrhea, or feels unwell, then it is necessary to call a doctor, as this indicates health problems.

In what cases is medical help needed?

Let's consider the symptoms that require immediate contact with a qualified specialist or call an ambulance:

• the vomiting process suddenly began;
• feeling dizzy and losing consciousness;
• a high temperature has risen sharply, which cannot be brought down by anything;
• changes in blood pressure occur;
• the patient has a chronic intestinal disease;
• the patient has severe chronic anemia;
• the patient is predisposed to chronic liver disease;
• numbness of the limbs occurs;
• there are suspicions of cancer, cirrhosis, or such diseases are present in relatives;
• Intoxication of the body occurred due to the huge amount of alcohol.

Important! With such symptoms, you should not self-medicate and waste precious time. If all the stools are black in color, then urgent medical consultation is necessary to establish the correct diagnosis.

What diseases does black stool indicate?

One of the reasons for the appearance of black feces is internal bleeding, which can be caused by polyps, peptic ulcers, varicose veins of the esophagus, or injury. Bleeding can occur from Crohn's disease, histoplasmosis, hookworm disease, and various other diseases. This treatment process is subject to a long period of time and mandatory monitoring by a medical specialist.

Important! Sometimes surgery that results in intestinal infections can cause stool to change color.

Black feces may indicate the following diseases:

• the presence of inflammatory processes in the small and large intestines;
• varicose veins of the esophagus or stomach;
• the presence of gastritis and leukemia;
• deep degree of infection by helminth infections and mycoses;
• peptic ulcer or inflammation of the gastric mucosa;
• intestinal pathologies and tumor development;
• plague.

Sometimes inappropriate use of medications contributes to the development of gastrointestinal pathologies.

Important! If the medication regimen is violated, tiny ulcers and erosions on the intestinal mucosa may occur. The damaged membrane bleeds, and the blood changes the color of the stool.

The presence of internal bleeding, in addition to black feces, is indicated by:

• low level of hemoglobin in the blood;
• pale skin tone;
• change in thermoregulation;
• the occurrence of an unreasonable amount of cold sweat.

Important! If the black color of the feces also has a greenish tint, then this is almost always the cause of the development of infectious diseases. Greenish-black diarrhea is characterized by the presence of dysentery. Only when the body is damaged does other accompanying symptoms appear, such as nausea, then vomiting, weakness, dizziness, which leads to loss of consciousness.

General malaise and black stool indicate the presence of the disease. Let's look at some characteristic signs of disease:

• Stomach ulcer - accompanied by characteristic ulcers on the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum. This is a chronic disease.
• Gastritis causes an inflammatory process of the stomach walls. Both adults and children are susceptible to this disease. The main symptoms of the disease are characterized by black stool, diarrhea, heartburn, and vomiting.
• Liver cirrhosis - observed in people over 40 years of age. The main symptom of this disease is the presence of black stool. In most cases, the patient's stool has a liquid consistency; in addition, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness may be present. This color of stool causes internal bleeding and requires urgent attention to a medical specialist.
• Oncological disease of the liver or colon is an incurable disease that develops with advanced cirrhosis of the liver. Characteristic symptoms of this disease:
  • black color of feces;
  • presence of vomiting;
  • sudden weight loss;
  • the presence of blood in the stool;
  • aching pain in the abdominal area;
  • low pressure;
  • diarrhea;
  • sluggish state.
• Stomach bleeding is very common in people who frequently take strong antibiotics. Internal bleeding is also common for people who abuse alcohol.
• Gastroenteritis is an infectious disease characterized by the presence of black stool with a distinct pungent odor.

What medications can cause black stool?

What does black stool mean? If black stool is detected, you need to analyze the presence of medications that are constantly taken.

The following medications can cause an unusual color:

• Medicines used to treat anemia. The use of sorbifer, ferrum, actiferrin, maltofer characterizes the black tint of stool.
• The use of vitamin complexes such as Vitrum.
• Use of activated black carbon.
• The use of drugs that serve for the treatment of the stomach, which include bismuth-De-Nol.

Important! If these types of medications are taken regularly, there is no need to worry about excrement.

But these groups of medications need to be treated with special attention:

• The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are prescribed to treat inflammation of joints, ligaments, and muscles. The use of aspirin, denebol, diclofenac of all types can cause unusual color of excrement.
• The use of medications that can reduce blood viscosity. Anticoagulants also cause unusual coloration of stool.
• Uncontrolled drug use.

Important! These substances alone cannot turn stool into an unpleasant black color, but they can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, internal bleeding is observed with varying levels of intensity. Blood that decomposes turns the stool black. This pathology causes unpleasant symptoms with the presence of pain in the epigastric region, a burning sensation, signs of nausea and the presence of vomiting. In such a situation, you should immediately contact a medical professional.

Normal stool color

Normal stool color ranges from light brown to dark brown. Stools should be formed and not foamy, runny or too dense. Small inclusions of undigested food residues may be allowed. Normal color is an individual indicator for each adult.

Important! If the color of the excrement is quite suspicious, but the color shade is difficult to determine, then you can use a paper test. To do this, you need to put a little feces on a clean white sheet of paper and look at the result. With this test, the color manifests itself fully.

Frequent reasons for the appearance of black stool in an adult are factors such as eating coloring foods (prunes, grapes, beets), taking medications and bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Often, changes in the color, smell and consistency of feces can provoke serious diseases: stomach ulcers, tumor processes, helminthiasis and deep mycosis. Dark coloring of stool for no apparent reason is a serious reason to seek medical help.

Possible diseases

Normally, stool is brown in various shades. A sharp darkening of stool or its black color may indicate a disease if:

• a person complains of pain in the abdominal area;
• the feeling of weakness increases;
• temperature rises;
• streaks of scarlet blood or greenish impurities are present.

Often the cause of black stool is advanced peptic ulcer. With duodenal ulcers and stomach ulcers, blood vessels can ulcerate and blood enters the gastrointestinal tract. The main symptom of ulcer bleeding is melena, or as it is also called “chernukha”. These are liquid feces, reminiscent of tar in color and consistency, with a fetid odor and possible streaks of blood. Bleeding from a stomach ulcer may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting mixed with bright blood.

The cause of blackened stool may be trauma to the stomach or upper intestine with damage to blood vessels. The patient may complain of dizziness. If first aid is not provided in time, the person will lose consciousness and may die. Indirectly indicate internal bleeding:

• drop in blood pressure;
• hypothermia;
• cyanosis of mucous membranes and nails;
• tremor;
• sweating;
• slow heartbeat;
• thread-like pulse (with massive bleeding).

In case of poisoning with arsenic, bismuth and some other metals, black feces is one of the symptoms.

Other diseases that cause black stool:

• malignant neoplasms and leukemia;
• gastroenteritis and granulomatous enteritis;
• gastritis;
• varicose veins of the esophagus;
• helminthiases;
• fungal infections (histoplasmosis);
• pancreatitis;
• liver cancer;
• cirrhosis.

Dysentery leads to darkening of the stool, most often greenish mucus is present in the stool. If only the color of the stool changes, there is no stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation, you need to wait a couple of days.

If your stools are still black, you should see a doctor. Examinations and tests will help identify the cause of the changes. A gastroenterologist may refer the patient for fibrogastroscopy to use an optical probe to examine the stomach and intestines in detail to detect the source of bleeding. It can also be a consequence of the disintegration of a tumor or foreign object in the gastrointestinal tract. Other methods of examining the gastrointestinal tract are MRI, computed tomography, ultrasound, barium X-ray. If necessary, surgical intervention is performed.

Black feces are not necessarily a sign of illness. Stool may darken:

• due to the consumption of products containing large quantities of coloring pigment;
• when taking certain medications;
• due to age-related changes.

Products

It is easy to check the product factor by changing the diet and removing from it dishes that contain:

• red beets;
• berries containing the substance anthocyanin.

Anthocyanin is a plant pigment found in fruits and leaves. It gives the berries their red, blue and purple colors. The most anthocyanin is found in blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates, chokeberries, prunes, black currants, cherries and dark varieties of cherries. This substance is also contained in the skins of grapes, which is why alcohol (red wine) and red grape varieties change the color of feces. Less commonly, black stool can be caused by eating tomatoes, apples, or bananas.

But it is not only plant foods that lead to such color changes. Animal products also affect this, although in this case the list is much shorter:

• liver;
• meat fried rare and other half-raw meat dishes that men love so much;
• blood sausage.

Small black grains can also be passed through the feces after a person eats an apple with seeds, poppy seeds, currants, grapes, persimmons, kiwis and other fruits and berries with small seeds.

Medicines

1. Iron preparations used in the treatment of anemia and to prevent iron deficiency during pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women taking medications such as sorbifer and Elevit pronatal should not worry.
2. De-Nol and other antibiotics, as well as herbal preparations (Vicalin, Vikair), used in the treatment of bacterial gastrointestinal infections.
3. Choleretic drugs (Hofitol, Holebil).
4. Activated carbon. The color of feces changes the next day after taking several tablets of the drug.

If the stool turns black during treatment for diseases of the stomach or intestines, you need to see a doctor to avoid serious complications - for example, perforation of a stomach or duodenal ulcer with subsequent inflammation of the abdominal cavity. Pregnant women also need to see their doctor if they suspect that the cause of the change in stool color is not only pronatal elevit, and feel signs of ill health: loss of strength, abdominal pain, etc.

Conclusion

The appearance of black stool in an adult is not necessarily a symptom of the disease, but you should definitely pay attention to this change. Those who have a history of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, or gall bladder should be especially careful. In this case, a change in the color of the stool may be a sign of a sharp exacerbation of the disease or its malignancy.