What Are Tarry Stools?
Bloody stools often are a sign of an injury or disorder in the digestive tract. Your doctor may use the term "melena" to describe black, tarry, and foul-smelling stools or "hematochezia" to describe red- or maroon-colored stools.
Alternative Names
Stools - bloody; Hematochezia; Melena; Stools - black or tarry
Considerations
Blood in the stool may come from anywhere along your digestive tract, from mouth to anus. It may be present in such small amounts that you...
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From Our Sources
Stool guaiac test
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
The stool guaiac test finds hidden (occult) blood in the stool (bowel movement), even when you cannot see the blood yourself. It is the most common... Read more »
Stool C. difficile toxin
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
The stool C. difficile toxin test detects harmful substances produced by the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) in a stool sample. This... Read more »
Flushable reagent stool blood test
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
Flushable reagent stool blood test is an at-home test to detect hidden blood in the stool. Alternative Names Stool occult blood test -... Read more »
Trypsin and chymotrypsin in stool
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
Trypsin and chymotrypsin are substances released from the pancreas during normal digestion. When the pancreas does not produce enough trypsin and... Read more »
Stool Gram stain
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
A stool Gram stain is a laboratory test that uses different stains to detect and identify bacteria in a stool sample.The Gram stain method is... Read more »
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