Melena

Melena or "black disease", also known as tarry stool, is a formless stool of black, shiny color with a fetid smell. This disorder is more likely not a disease, but a symptom of internal bleeding (in the stomach or esophagus).

Black stools can also occur with ingestion of blood with pulmonary, nasal and other types of bleeding.

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The causes of melena

The main reason for developing melena is bleeding, which can open in any part of the digestive tract, but most often to pathology leads to the ulcer of the stomach, duodenum.

To the appearance of bleeding may result in peptic ulcers, tumors, diverticula, polyps. In rare cases, black stools occur with diseases of the pancreas or gallbladder.

In childhood, black stools can be associated with the protrusion of Meckel (congenital or acquired pathology of development of the intestine).

In addition to internal causes, the disorder may result in taking certain medications, bleeding disorders, pulmonary or nasal bleeding (in this case, the person swallows the blood that gets into the stomach).

Symptoms of melena

Melena in the case of extensive bleeding manifests a liquid stool. If there are not excessive bleeding, the feces have a black color and retain their shape after defecation.

With an addiction to constipation, the disorder can manifest itself 2-3 days after the bleeding has opened.

In most cases, the pathology has symptoms that are not related to bleeding: tinnitus, weakness, nausea, loss of consciousness, darkening in the eyes, cold sweat or heat, pallor.

Usually such symptoms appear before melena. If the blood loss of the body is less than 500ml, then the disorder proceeds without pronounced symptoms, with blood loss more than 1L - a change in the pulse and pressure is possible, with a blood loss of more than 2L - hemorrhagic shock develops, a decrease in pressure, loss of consciousness, a decrease or a complete absence of reflexes.

Diagnosis of melena

Melena is first detected when examining the patient's feces.

If this examination is not possible, but in the past there have been cases of black stool, as well as on the face of the symptoms of an internal internal bleeding, a rectal examination and examination of feces collected from the intestinal walls is prescribed.

When examining the stool, the patient's diet should be taken into account, since stool darkening may occur due to the use of certain foods (blueberries, red wine, beets), and also because of certain medications, in particular iron-containing ones, in this case the stool mass is not have a characteristic for melena varnish luster.

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Treatment of melena

Melena requires urgent help from specialists. At the first signs of bleeding, you should call an ambulance and go to the hospital.

Before arrival of an ambulance, you should not eat or drink anything (except cold water).

On the stomach you can put a hot water bottle filled with cold water.

In the hospital, the patient is assigned an urgent endoscopic examination, which in most cases helps not only to identify the source of bleeding, but also to eliminate it.

In cases of heavy bleeding, blood transfusions and vitamins are prescribed.

Forecast of melena

Melena, as well as bleeding, which provoked it, can cause disability, as well as lead to death. Forecasts depend on the timely detection of pathology and a set of therapeutic measures to eliminate it.

Melena or black stool is a pathological condition in which black feces are secreted due to the presence of blood in the stomach, altered by the action of gastric juice. In most cases, the disorder is caused by severe internal bleeding, which requires urgent medical intervention.