HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

question-icon

What Causes Blood In Stool And Diarrhea In An Infant?

default
Posted on Mon, 3 Aug 2015
Question: My son is 7 months old (will be 8 months in a week). He's been battling a stomach bug. It started at 4:30 AM on Wednesday, and is just as bad today (it's 4:30PM on Saturday so it's been going on for 84 hours). He hasn't had any vomiting, just diarrhea. For hours at a time he will seem totally fine. He'll take his bottle and play and smile, then suddenly he will get bad stomach cramps and have back to back to back diarrhea and he'll refuse to eat. Last night while I was changing one of his dirty diapers, I looked at it like I always do and there were streaks of blood in it. We went to the ER and even bagged the diaper up to take with us to show the doctor. When we got there, my son was back to normal and acting happy. We told the doctor his symptoms. He didn't run a stool sample. He didn't look at the dirty diaper with the blood streaks in it. He just gave my son some zofran and sent us home. When we got home, my son ate about half the amount that he normally eats and he got stomach cramps soon after but no diarrhea thanks to the zofran. He woke up again at 4:30 this morning with a good amount of loose stool, but I didn't see any blood. Then at 9AM he woke up again and after drinking 1 oz. he had diarrhea and this time there were small streaks of blood again. What does this sound like it could be? Should I take him back to the ER and specifically request that they do a stool sample?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (41 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Visit ER

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to Healthcare-Magic
Greetings of the day

Dear Ms

presence of blood in stool in infant requires thorough clinical examination. Following two possibilities need to be ruled out

1. Anal fissure

2. Intussusception

If the child is excessively crying(that is having colicky abdominal pain) along with blood in stools, strong possibility of Intussusception needs to be considered. I would suggest you the following

1. Visit ER and discuss with the treating Physician to rule out Intussusception by clinical and radiological examination

2. Stool examination will not be much helpful

3. Consultation with Pediatrician/Pediatric Surgeon will be helpful

Do get back to me if you need any further assistance, will be glad to assist you.

Take Care

Best Regards
Dr Deepak Kaltari
Consultant Pediatric Surgeon
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
default
Follow up: Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (3 minutes later)
The doctor in the ER last night examined his belly and said it felt soft. Would it feel hard if it was intussusception? There also wasn't a lot of blood in his stool, just some small streaks. And he doesn't have the currant jelly stool that I've read is associated with intussuaception. He also doesn't have a fever .
doctor
Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (10 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
There could be soft abdomen in Intussusception

Detailed Answer:
Hi
In Intussusception the abdomen is soft and there is usually lump palpable. Red currant jelly stool is seen in classical cases. In many cases the blood may be either absent or present in small quantity in many of cases. Had your child been my patient , I would have examined the anal region to rule out anal fissure and rectal examination if there is no fissure. Also thorough abdominal examination rule out any lump.

As your child is happy and playful , with absence of fever and vomiting it's unlikely to be serious. The only worrisome fact is blood in stool .


Take care

Best Regards
Dr Deepak
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 3195 Questions

premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
What Causes Blood In Stool And Diarrhea In An Infant?

Brief Answer: Visit ER Detailed Answer: Hi Welcome to Healthcare-Magic Greetings of the day Dear Ms presence of blood in stool in infant requires thorough clinical examination. Following two possibilities need to be ruled out 1. Anal fissure 2. Intussusception If the child is excessively crying(that is having colicky abdominal pain) along with blood in stools, strong possibility of Intussusception needs to be considered. I would suggest you the following 1. Visit ER and discuss with the treating Physician to rule out Intussusception by clinical and radiological examination 2. Stool examination will not be much helpful 3. Consultation with Pediatrician/Pediatric Surgeon will be helpful Do get back to me if you need any further assistance, will be glad to assist you. Take Care Best Regards Dr Deepak Kaltari Consultant Pediatric Surgeon