When does black stool need treatment?

If the black stool is due to bleeding, this is in most cases in need of treatment. On the one hand, the source of bleeding should be stopped. This can be done either with medication or intervention.

In many cases, the bleeding can be treated by diagnostics and thus the discovery of the source of bleeding during endoscopy. Accompanying symptoms such as anemia and iron deficiency due to the bleeding must also be treated. In most cases, iron tablets are sufficient for this purpose, but a blood transfusion may be necessary if there is severe blood loss.

If the bowel movement is caused by chronic diseases such as chronic inflammatory bowel diseases or a tumor, a therapy must also be carried out. The treatment of a chronic inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis is usually a long-term therapy. Tumors (both benign and malignant) can be treated surgically, and further oncological therapy with the administration of chemotherapeutic agents may be necessary.

If the black stools are caused by infectious diseases, the decision to treat is made based on the severity of the symptoms. In case of mild symptoms no therapy is necessary, in case of severe symptoms such as significant dehydration a sufficient amount of fluid should be given. If necessary, antibiotics against bacteria that caused the infection may be necessary. These in turn can cause further complaints.

Duration and prognosis of black bowel movements

The duration and prognosis of black bowel movements vary greatly depending on the cause of the symptoms.Harmless causes such as the absorption of the dye through food or the coloration by medication have a very good prognosis. In addition, the symptoms disappear again after a few days (in the case of medication a few days after discontinuation). Infectious diseases also change the bowel movement usually only for a few days. Chronic diseases, on the other hand, result in long black bowel movements, which often do not disappear or recur frequently without therapy. In the case of serious diseases such as tumor diseases or serious organ dysfunction, quality of life and possibly also life expectancy can be negatively influenced.