Black Bowel Movement

When the color of the excreted stool is black, it is termed as black bowel movement. Generally, stools appear brown in color, but change in appearance and color does indicate the existence of an underlying medical condition. For instance, studies reveal that dark yellow stools mean that food is not getting properly digested. Change in stool color can be a symptom of a number of digestive ailments. It is elaborated below:

Causes

Formation of black stools is certainly a cause of great concern as it indicates the presence of blood in the stool, thus making it black. Occurrence of blood in stools certainly cannot be taken lightly and is an indication of intestinal issues. Why blood is detected in stool, is due to the following reasons:

Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu): Invasion of virus, mainly due to consumption of adulterated food, can cause an intestinal infection, often referred to as stomach flu. This condition affects both the stomach and the intestines in which the gastrointestinal tract gets inflamed and causes severe abdominal pain. In some cases, ulcers (open wounds) form on the intestinal wall that bleed profusely. This may give rise to bloody diarrhea.

Internal Bleeding: Broken blood vessels are actually responsible for causing internal bleeding. When blood vessels get damaged, they are no longer able to carry the blood properly and hence some amount of blood is lost, which may mix with the stool and make it black and tarry. A point to note that internal bleeding in the form of bloody diarrhea cannot be overlooked and may become life-threatening, if appropriate medical treatment is not given on time.

Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBD): This is a digestive disorder that causes inflammation of the intestine. The intestinal wall turns red and becomes irritated. In severe cases of IBD, formation of ulcers severely damage the intestinal wall. When ulcers bleed profusely, bowel movement produces black stools. IBD interferes with the body's ability to digest food properly. In this condition the digestive system is no longer able to absorb nutrients appropriately from food.

Diverticulitis: This is a disease involving the large intestine, where in, the pouches (diverticula) that are seen bulging out of the intestinal wall, get swollen and infected. In other words, the infection of the diverticula is referred as diverticulitis. Diverticula, occurring in older adults are abnormal skin growth that slightly change the structure of the large intestine. When the inflammation is severe, the patient experiences intense abdominal pain and also bleeding in the rectum. As a result, the bowel movement produces blood stools that appear black and tarry.

Keep in mind, yellow bowel movement is related with indigestion of food. With lifestyle modifications such as regular exercise, these digestive issues can be eliminated. However, defecating black stools cannot be ignored as it is an indicator of internal bleeding which requires immediate medical treatment.