My 60 year old brother in law has begun passing blood clots during urination occassionally for a month of so.  He has now started bleeding from the rectum.  Although I know he needs a doctors attention, he makes light of it.  What could cause such a condition and what type of doctor should he see?
Hi, Thanks for writing in. An elderly male passing blood in urine and stools should not be neglected. These can be the signs of cancer in this age group and detailed investigation is to be done. The blood in urine can be from a cancer in the urinary bladder or prostate and this is causing the symptom. This might explain the bleeding from rectum which can happen if the tumor is invading the blood vessels in the rectal wall. The doctor to be consulted is a surgeon and preferable a urologist. They will do investigations like ultrasound scan and Ct scan of the abdomen and pelvis. If the bleeding area is not clear then he will require cystoscopy and colonoscopy which are minimally invasive techniques and help in confirming the diagnosis. The doctor should be consulted urgently. Please do not worry.