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Melena is a form of blood in stool which refers to the dark black, tarry feces that are commonly associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. [1] The black color and characteristic strong odor are caused by hemoglobin in the blood being altered by digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria .
Primary treatment includes rehydration and replacing lost salts (oral rehydration therapy). [3] [4] Antibiotics are recommended for significant or persistent symptoms, and can be taken with loperamide to decrease diarrhea. [3] Hospitalization is required in less than 3 percent of cases. [2]
Blood in stool looks different depending on how early it enters the digestive tract—and thus how much digestive action it has been exposed to—and how much there is. The term can refer either to melena, with a black appearance, typically originating from upper gastrointestinal bleeding; or to hematochezia, with a red color, typically originating from lower gastrointestinal bleeding. [6]
Initial treatment focuses on resuscitation which may include intravenous fluids and blood transfusions. [4] Often blood transfusions are not recommended unless the hemoglobin is less than 70 or 80 g/L. [7] [12] Treatment with proton pump inhibitors, octreotide, and antibiotics may be considered in certain cases.
Many viruses can also lead to pneumonia, including Covid-19, influenza, human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, and the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Some of these viruses have specific antivirals ...
Symptoms include “sensitivity to light, dizziness, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting, and rash,” the CDC says, while more serious disease includes meningitis, encephalitis, and bleeding.
With correct treatment, most cases of amoebic and bacterial dysentery subside within 10 days, and most individuals achieve a full recovery within two to four weeks after beginning proper treatment. If the disease is left untreated, the prognosis varies with the immune status of the individual patient and the severity of disease.
A bacterial infection could be treated with antibiotics, whereas a viral infection would likely need to run its course. FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis looks on during the Jubilee audience in Paul VI ...