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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 .
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]
Hematemesis, melena, and hematochezia are symptoms of acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Bleeding that brings the patient to the physician is a potential emergency and must be considered as such until its seriousness can be evaluated.
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.
“Nausea and or vomiting are usually the first symptoms of norovirus,” says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that causes interruptions in your sleep leading to a wide range of symptoms. Learn more about the condition and how to get diagnosed.
Signs and symptoms usually begin 12–72 hours after contracting the infectious agent. [15] If due to a virus, the condition usually resolves within one week. [18] Some viral infections also involve fever, fatigue, headache and muscle pain. [18] If the stool is bloody, the cause is less likely to be viral [18] and more likely to be bacterial. [19]
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.