What Causes Blood In Stool?

Colon Cancer

Blood in an individual's stool can be the result of cancer that originates in their large intestine. Colon cancer is most prevalent in older adults and often starts in polyps or benign growths in the colon. Once they become malignant, growths in the colon can cause multiple symptoms associated with a slow loss of blood. Blood loss from colon cancer tends to be intermittent or comes and goes. Bright red or maroon intermittent bleeding can be attributed to a malignancy located in the rectum and last section of the large intestine. Colon cancers closer to the small intestine in the right colon have a greater risk of causing complications like anemia and low blood pressure. This type of bleeding is usually darker and may or may not be grainy. Blood in the stool and rectal bleeding that occurs due to malignancy in the lower gastrointestinal tract is most often accompanied by unusual changes in bowel habits, including abnormal consistency, diarrhea, and constipation. Unexplained fatigue, weight loss, and weakness that occur alongside blood in the stool are also commonly reported in colon cancer patients.