What is the cause of blood in the stool of children?

We all know that the baby's stool can best reflect the baby's health condition and the gastrointestinal absorption of food. However, many parents have encountered symptoms such as bloody stools in their children, which often makes parents very worried. They don’t know whether the baby has a gastrointestinal disease or what the cause is. In order for the baby to be healthier, let’s understand what is going on with bleeding stools in children.

What is the cause of blood in the stool of children?

1. The mother's nipples are ulcerated and bleeding. During breastfeeding, especially in the early stages, the mother's nipples are prone to ulceration. If the child swallows the blood from the mother's ulcerated nipples, the stool will contain a small amount of pink or red substance. The stool test will not detect red blood cells, but occult blood can be detected. In this case, the child usually eats normally and grows normally, so parents do not need to worry.

2. Taking iron supplements (iron foods)

If a child takes a multivitamin preparation or iron supplement containing iron, not all of the iron will be absorbed and a small amount will be excreted through the intestines. At this time, the stool may contain dark brown spots, and the fecal occult blood will be positive. This is the case with Qiuqiu in the first example, because the doctor learned after questioning that Qiuqiu had been taking iron-containing multivitamins (vitamin foods) every day since he was 6 months old. This condition has nothing to do with the child's intestinal development or disease. As long as the child grows normally, there is no need to worry.

3. Damage to the small intestinal mucosa

If the small intestinal mucosa is damaged, the stool will also contain red substances and the stool test for occult blood will be positive. Accidental ingestion of medications or foreign objects can cause damage to the intestinal mucosa, but for young babies (baby food), this possibility is very small. Most intestinal damage is caused by food, the most common of which is milk. The intestines cannot tolerate certain foods, causing damage to the small intestinal mucosa and blood to enter the intestinal cavity. Since the blood stays in the intestine for a while before being excreted with the stool, it will be destroyed by the intestinal fluid during this period. Therefore, stool testing can only detect occult blood in the stool, but no red blood cells. However, this small intestinal damage can persist without a change in diet, causing the child to have slowed growth and development. This is the case with Qiangqiang in the second example. After Qiangqiang was born, he was mainly fed with infant formula and developed an intolerance to milk protein. After converting amino acids (amino acid food) and deeply hydrolyzed special formula powder, Qiangqiang's bowel movements returned to normal and his growth also quickly returned to normal.

4. Disinfectants damage the intestines

Some chemicals, especially disinfectants, can also cause damage to the intestinal mucosa, as is the case with Xiaodong in the third example. Parents believe that disinfection can keep children away from germs, but the children's chances of being exposed to disinfectants have also increased significantly. Over time, chronic ingestion of disinfectants has become the culprit of intestinal damage. After that, the parents used clean water instead of disinfectant wipes, and the child's bowel movements soon returned to normal.

5. Anal fissure

If fresh blood is visible in the stool and the blood is attached to the surface of the stool, and examination shows the presence of red blood cells, it is mostly caused by anal fissure. As mentioned in the fourth example, the child will cry and have difficulty defecating, but the stool may not necessarily be dry and hard. Because the anal sphincter of infants is not fully developed and the coordination of contraction and relaxation is not perfect, small cracks often occur during defecation, resulting in a small amount of blood in the stool. At this time, apply a small amount of antibiotic ointment on the anus and the condition will soon improve.

The above is an introduction to what causes bloody stools in children. After understanding it, we know that there are many reasons for this phenomenon. For example, children's constipation or poor gastrointestinal digestion are prone to such symptoms. Therefore, parents must pay great attention to it and do not use drugs blindly. They must prescribe the right medicine to adjust the baby and consult a doctor in time when necessary.