Finding blood in your baby's stool can be alarming to a parent. A variety of conditions can cause a bloody stool in an infant. Fortunately, the more common causes are benign. While some conditions causing bloody stool do not require any specific treatment, others are serious and should be treated by a doctor immediately.
Anal Fissure
Anal fissures are small tears in the anus. They can occur at any age, but they are particularly common in infants. According to MedlinePlus, up to 80 percent of infants may develop an anal fissure. The fissure may cause a few drops of blood to appear in the infant's stool. Most heal on their own.
Milk Allergy
An allergy to cow's milk is a problem in many infants. Cow's milk can cause immediate symptoms if the allergy is severe; these include wheezing, breathlessness and low blood pressure. Other symptoms may take time to occur and include bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cough. The stool may contain some amount of blood. The treatment is to avoid cow's milk; fortunately, the allergy often subsides after 3 months of age.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Necrotizing enterocololitis is a severe disease that can occur in newborns. The disease is associated with immaturity of the intestine and is more common in preterm babies. For unknown reasons, part of the small intestine dies, a process called necrosis. Symptoms usually occur in the first 2 weeks of life but can be as late as 3 months after birth. Symptoms include abdominal distension, pain, poor feeding and vomiting. Many infants also have bloody stool. The most important treatment is surgery to remove the diseased part of the intestine.
Infection
Infants can be infected by certain bacteria which can cause a bloody diarrhea, a condition known as dysentery. Common causes of dysentery include the bacteria of the genus Shigella and Campylobacter jejuni. The stools also may also contain mucus. Other symptoms include abdominal pain and fever. Children with dysentery should be treated in the hospital with antibiotics and rehydration.
Other Causes
A variety of other conditions can cause bleeding in an infant's stool. According to an article published in "Pediatrics" in 2006, no cause can be attributed to the majority of episodes. Intussusception is a painful twisting of the intestine that can cause an episode of bloody, mucus-filled, stool.
Persistent presence of blood in the feces or the presence of mucus in the stool should be evaluated by a doctor.
References
- "Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics"; Dr. Robert M. Kliegman, et al.; 2008
- MedLine Plus: Anal Fissure
- "Pediatrics"; Rectal Bleeding in Infancy: Clinical, Allergological, and Microbiological Examination; T. Arvola, et al.; April 2006
- MayoClinic.com: Milk Allergy
- Color of the Day: Solving Bowel Movement Mysteries; Dr. Jay Gordon; 2/23/2010
