Observing a baby's stool is something every parent does. When a mother wipes her baby's butt, she finds blood in their stool, which scares her. However, the child's stomach and anus are not painful, and their appetite, mental state, and growth and development are normal. Even when they go to the hospital for a blood test, there is no anemia. Next, the encyclopedia will introduce the causes of rectal bleeding in children.
Causes of Hematochezia in Children
1. Digestive tract diseases: the most common cause of rectal bleeding, including esophageal varices, esophageal foreign bodies, ulcer disease, acute gastritis, gastric mucosal prolapse, intussusception, hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis, strangulated intestinal obstruction, pediatric rectal bleeding, rectal polyps, anal fissures, etc.
2. Blood diseases: neonatal hemorrhage, hemophilia, leukemia, aplastic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and allergic purpura.
3. Other systemic infectious diseases: such as septicemia, typhoid fever, etc., newborn swallowing blood from mother's birth canal or nipple rupture, nose, pharynx, gum bleeding, etc.
4. The influence of food or medication: Certain foods and medications can also cause changes in stool color, sometimes easily confused with rectal bleeding. Eating a large amount of watermelon and tomatoes in summer can cause the color of stool to turn red. Children with anemia can have their stool turn black after taking iron supplements, and the color of stool can also turn black after consuming animal blood. These changes in stool color caused by food and medication do not belong to rectal bleeding.
Is rectal bleeding in children a disease
Firstly, there is not much bleeding during bowel movements, and there is no pain in the stomach or anus. The stool is neither loose nor dry, and it is defecated once a day, which does not seem like an acute illness. Although there have been years of rectal bleeding, it does not affect the child's daily life, activities, nutrition, and development. Blood tests also show no signs of anemia, indicating that there is no harm to health. At this point, parents do not need to panic because such rectal bleeding is not a problem and will not affect their child's health.