Blood in Stool

The presence of blood in a person’s stool is not necessarily indicative of a serious medical condition, but should be evaluated to rule out something that requires immediate attention. In kids and adults, blood in the stool can be a symptom of a food allergy, using certain medications, GERD, hemorrhoids or an anal fissure. Other possible causes include gastrointestinal polyps, bowel or colon obstructions, infectious diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease. Depending on the identified cause, medical treatments for patients with blood in the stool may include polyp removal, endoscopic cauterization to stop a GI bleed, medications to address an infection, hemorrhoid removal and surgery.