The notion that black stools accompanied by symptoms should be alarming is not rigorous; there is no need to be alarmed about physiologic black stools, while you should be alarmed about black stools from other causes, whether or not there are signs.
Physiological black stools: after eating some dark-colored food, such as mulberry or blood products, or taking iron, bismuth and other drugs, this situation will appear physiological black stools, generally do not need to be vigilant.
Pathologic black stool.
1. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding: gastric polyps, peptic ulcer, gastric cancer, etc. will appear black stool, this kind of patients usually accompanied by epigastric discomfort, such as stomach pain, gastric distension, loss of appetite, acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, and emaciation.
2. Lower gastrointestinal bleeding: intestinal tuberculosis, small intestinal tumors, Crohn’s disease, peptic ulcer, colon cancer, etc. are usually accompanied by symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and localized lumps. However, in the early stage of many diseases, such as benign polyps in the intestines, chronic bleeding can lead to black stools, but many patients have no other accompanying symptoms, this situation also needs to be vigilant to avoid leading to anemia.
Black stool, whether or not accompanied by symptoms, should be taken seriously, go to the hospital for examination, identify the cause and then treat the symptoms.