First of all, the bleeding during stool is not much, the stomach and anus are not painful, the stool is not thin and not too dry, and the bowel movement is once a day, so it certainly does not look like any acute illness. Although blood in the stool has been occurring for years, it does not affect the child’s life, activities, nutrition, or development, and there are no signs of anemia in the blood test, which means that there is no obstacle to health. At this point, parents need not panic, because such blood in the stool does not matter and will not affect the child’s health. So, what exactly causes bleeding? Is this a disease? It is safe to say that this is not a disease. It turns out that in order to resist bacterial and viral attacks, young children have an active proliferation of lymphoid tissue throughout the body, and the lymphoid tissue in the rectum, colon and even the lower part of the small intestine collects in clusters (called lymphoid follicles). Some lymphoid follicles are large and protrude under the intestinal mucosa, neatly and closely arranged. The more prominent follicles near the end of the rectum (i.e., the anal opening) are subject to the friction of feces and the compression of the intestinal wall contraction, and often appear a small amount of blood oozing, staining the feces and even flowing to the anal opening, which is the reason why young children occasionally have blood in their stools. Since the amount of bleeding is not large, the body can compensate on its own, so it does not cause anemia. However, some parents are very worried when they see blood in their child’s stool, thinking that it is the same as women’s menstruation. In fact, the amount of bleeding in a child’s stool is proportionally much less than the amount of menstrual blood in women, so there is no need to worry at all. If the blood test proves that there is indeed anemia, taking some blood supplements will be sufficient. Lymphatic follicular hyperplasia is a manifestation of the maturing immune function of young children. As the immune function matures, lymphatic follicular hyperplasia gradually decreases and bleeding stops naturally, so no treatment is needed. In some children, the hyperplastic lymphatic follicles bleed due to abrasion and cause infection, and granules may develop. The overgrown granules form small balls of flesh that protrude into the intestinal lumen, which are called polyps. The polyp is more likely to be squeezed, so the child will have blood in every stool. But in any case. The bleeding will not be large and the child will not feel it when he/she has a bowel movement, and it will not become malignant. These polyps are called “young polyps” in medical terms. If your doctor finds a polyp in your child during a rectal exam, he or she can remove it by hand. If the fingers can not reach, generally do not have to deal with, because as the polyp gets bigger and bigger, the root of the tip will get thinner and thinner, the polyp naturally fall off, with the bowel discharge, and later will not bleed. Individual large polyps, stubborn and do not fall off. They can be removed by proctoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. How can I know if my child’s blood in stool is caused by lymphoid follicular hyperplasia or polyps? Generally speaking, occasional bleeding in the stool of young children is mostly due to lymphoid follicular hyperplasia, while bleeding in the stool every time is often caused by polyps, which can be clearly diagnosed by an experienced specialist through rectal examination. Barium enema (barium enema angiography) X-ray can detect high polyps that cannot be reached by fingers. Sigmoid colon and fiberoptic colonoscopy. Lymphatic follicular hyperplasia and polyps in various areas can be seen, but before the examination. The child must be anesthetized and put into a deep sleep. Most children with a small amount of blood in the stool that does not affect their health do not undergo this test. Are there any diseases or even dangerous diseases that cause a small amount of painless blood in the stool? Of course, there are. For example, in blood disorders (including leukemia), the whole body bleeds, and the anus is naturally no exception; chronic enteritis (clonorchiasis), rectal hemangioma, and intestinal lymphoma can all have small amounts of blood in the stool. Fortunately, these cases are rare and are often accompanied by stomach pain in children. Having anal fissures, anal fistulas, anal eczema in small infants, and pinworm anusitis in young children can also cause bleeding, but they also tend to be itchy and painful. Therefore, blood in the stool should still be examined by a doctor. If there is a real disease, the doctor will take care of it. If no problem is found. You can wait for it to heal on its own, and keep an eye on it. There is no need to panic. Causes of blood in the stool in children The causes of blood in the stool in children may be not only medical but also surgical. In the case of surgical blood in the stool, treatment with medication and injections alone is most likely not effective. Sometimes it is effective for a while. However, it often delays the diagnosis and treatment, and can even cause serious consequences. Blood in the stool is a symptom that can occur in many diseases, and it indicates that there is bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Generally speaking, upper gastrointestinal bleeding is mostly manifested as vomiting blood and tarry stools; lower gastrointestinal bleeding is mostly manifested as blood in stool, which is bright red or dark red, and the amount varies depending on the condition. Long-term, small amounts of repeated blood in the stool can cause anemia and malnutrition in children, while a large amount of bleeding can often lead to hemorrhagic shock, which is life-threatening. The following is a brief description of common surgical conditions that cause blood in the stool in children. 1, rectal polyps rectal polyps is one of the most common causes of pediatric blood in the stool, mostly seen in children aged 3-6 years. Blood in the stool is characterized by the presence of fresh blood at the end of defecation, small amount, not mixed with feces. The polyp usually grows on the mucosa of the intestinal wall as a fleshy lump with a tip, usually the size of a soybean or fava bean. An experienced physician can feel the polyp with his finger during a rectal examination of the child. If the polyp is low, it can come out of the anus when defecating, as if it were a red ball of flesh. Single rectal polyps can be cured by manual removal, but if there is more than one polyp (multiple), surgery should be performed. 2, anal fissure anal fissure is a fissure at the edge of the anal opening, mostly seen in infants and children around two years old. Blood in the stool is characterized by drops of fresh blood from the anus. It is also accompanied by painful defecation, and when the child relieves the bowel movement, he or she will cry and become upset, and the stool will be dry and hard. There are many different causes of anal fissures, such as congenital anal stenosis, tearing of the anus when passing a dry, hard stool, and anal injury or infection. Anal fissures can produce an anal fistula if not treated properly. To treat anal fissures, it is generally necessary to clean the anus frequently, keep the perianal area clean and apply lubricating drugs, and eat more oily and easily digestible food. 3, acute intussusception intussusception is one of the most common acute abdominal disease in infancy. Most commonly seen in infants under two years of age, especially 4-10 months. Blood in the stool is characterized by jam-like stools. The child has paroxysmal crying and vomiting due to abdominal pain. The doctor may feel a mass in the abdomen. In the early stage of intussusception, the child is mostly treated with air enema and reset; if the condition is advanced, surgery is required. 4.Meckel’s diverticulum (formerly known as Meckel’s diverticulum) This is a congenital intestinal malformation, which is a sac formed on the intestinal wall due to abnormal development, mostly seen in children within two years old. Blood in the stool is characterized by sudden, large amounts of blood in the stool, first black and then red. The diverticulum is located at the end of the ileum and can bleed from ulcers because it may contain ectopic gastric motility membrane or pancreatic tissue. If there is a lot of bleeding, it can cause shock, and repeated blood in the stool can lead to anemia. The disease is mostly diagnosed using isotope scanning. For Meckel’s diverticulum, surgical treatment is appropriate. 5, acute necrotizing enterocolitis acute necrotizing enterocolitis blood in the stool is characterized by red bean soup, wash water-like, fishy odor, accompanied by high fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms, in severe cases, shock can occur. Routine blood tests reveal significantly elevated white blood cells. 6, other peptic ulcers, intestinal malrotation and repetitive malformation, gastroesophageal reflux, esophageal hiatal hernia, portal hypertension and other diseases can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and produce blood in the stool. In short, both parents and doctors should be alert to children with blood in the stool and deal with it in a timely manner, especially for blood in the stool with surgical indications, and should be hospitalized to avoid delaying treatment.