This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The patient with lower GI bleeding may complain of abdominal pain, fresh blood passed with the stool (haematochezia), lack of appetite, shortness of breath, fainting episodes or fatigue.

On examination, there may be conspicuous bleeding from the rectum, peritonism, shock, orthostatic hypotension and abdominal distention.

The freshness of the blood passed per rectum should be noted - this may be of help in determining the site of bleeding.

Also, faeces should be examined to see if there is fresh blood streaking the stool, which is typical of bleeding from haemorrhoids, or whether there is a mixture of blood and diarrhoea, as in ulcerative colitis.


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.