Treatment
As different as the causes of intestinal bleeding are, so different is the therapy. If the patient suffers from haemorrhoids, a conservative attempt at therapy can be started first. This includes a diet rich in fibre, weight loss or increased physical exertion to stimulate intestinal activity.
In addition, there are various ointments and creams which, however, only alleviate the symptoms and do not treat the cause. The next step in the treatment of haemorrhoids is to ligate or sclerotise the dilated vascular cushions. Sclerosing in this case means that the tissue is tried to shrink by means of cold therapy or infrared coagulation.
The last option of the therapy is surgery. If there is intestinal bleeding due to an anal fissure, there is also the possibility of both conservative and surgical treatment. The most important thing here is good stool regulation, so that constipation and hard bowel movements are avoided.
In addition, analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointments can be used. If the rupture in the sphincter muscle area still does not heal, the only option is surgical treatment. If an ulcer of the duodenum is the cause of the intestinal bleeding, the treatment looks almost the same as for a stomach ulcer.
Since the main cause of the ulcer is a colonisation with a certain bacterium, the first step in the therapy is the removal of the bacterium using a combination of different antibiotics. If an ulcer occurs as a result of taking Diclofenac or similar non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, these should be discontinued immediately. Diverticulitis that leads to intestinal bleeding is primarily treated with a few days’ rest in combination with antibiotic therapy.
If there is a tearing of the bulges (diverticula), which in medicine is called a perforation, surgery is the treatment of choice. If intestinal bleeding occurs due to cancer of the bowel, the first thing to do is to perform a histological examination (an examination of a tissue sample) to determine what type of cancer it is. Surgery and removal of the affected area are one of the treatment options. Chemotherapy should also be administered after the operation.
