BODY SIGNAL ALERT DIARRHEA, ACUTE AND BLOODY: DESCRIPTION AND POSSIBLE MEDICAL PROBLEMS
If you have diarrhea and notice that it has become bloody, you should see your doctor right away, especially if you have a fever and feel weak along with a general malaise.
Bloody diarrhea can be a sign of a viral or bacterial infection that is becoming more severe. It can also occur if you have a long history of ulcer disease or as the first indication of a bleeding ulcer. In this case, you will probably have a stool that is black and tarry or resembles the consistency of putty. If blood appears on the surface of the stool, it is probably due to hemorrhoids.
If bloody diarrhea occurs in a person in his 40s or 50s, it’s possible that a condition known as diverticulitis, a sudden infection in the lower left-hand part of the intestine, may be the cause. Diverticulitis appears when the small pockets in the large intestine—called diverticula— become inflamed because small particles of food, especially seeds, get caught in them, resulting in inflammation and infection. Diverticulitis occurs most often among sedentary people who eat a high-fat, low-fiber diet. If you have diverticulitis, you may also have a fever. If you have a history of irritable bowel syndrome or colitis, you’re more likely to develop diverticulitis. People with irritable bowel syndrome become used to living with an unpredictable bowel, but if diverticulitis develops, you will find that the pain is worse than usual and occurs over the entire abdomen.
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