Hi doctor, I am 29 years old, male, suffering from blood bleeding from the back while passing stools in regular intervals. Initially, it bled in two months interval, and now it is one month. How serious is it?
Hello. Blood in stools can be from the upper gastrointestinal tract (UGI) or from the lower gastrointestinal tract (LGI). The dark altered blood is from upper GI bleed and fresh blood is mostly from the lower GI tract. We need to evaluate various possibilities that can cause such bleeding most commonly being hemorrhoids or piles, inflammatory bowel disease, acute dysentery.  In such a scenario, I would advise you to see your doctor, who will perform a proctoscopy in his office. If any evidence of piles is found, you would be treated accordingly. If he feels suspicious for inflammatory bowel disease, he will post you for colonoscopy. Also, important here is that if you are having cramps, this might be some infection or dysentery. It is not necessary that it will always be associated with loose stools. In such a scenario, you would require antibiotics like Norfloxacin and Tinidazole. In case you are suffering from chronic constipation, you would require to use laxatives to prevent piles. See your doctor and share my opinion with him or her. I hope it helps. Stay healthy.