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If children are sick or injured, one of the baffling questions for parents is… should i take them to the emergency room? Often the answer is: you didn’t need to bring the child in… but you had to go to ER to find that out.

Jacob Washington’s mom, Juanita, did just that.

She got a big scare when she changed her nine-month-old son’s diaper a few days ago…

“I just saw blood,” she says, “a lot of blood come out, yes. So we rushed him over here.”

Jacob is examined by Dr. Mike Ziegler, ER Pediatrics, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “So the frequency’s going down, but the amount of blood you’re seeing seems more,” he asks Jacob’s mom.

She says yes, that is what’s happening.

So… why is this little boy bleeding?

Dr. Ziegler explains, “Blood in the stool is a problem that runs the gamut. The causes of bloody diarrhea can include infections such as viruses and bacteria. It can be more of an inflammatory problem, which is more of a chronic condition.

He says the key, now, is to determine if it’s a serious infection like e-coli or salmonella.

Lab tests are still out… but, after an initial examination, Dr. Ziegler reveals some good news. “The fact that the frequency of his stools are getting less frequent, the fact that he looks well hydrated, the fact that he’s not having fever today, even though he had fever yesterday—those are real good signs that he’s mending himself without the need of any kind of extra help.”

Juanita Washington is relieved. “That makes me feel better, cause I freaked out when I saw all that blood. I wanted to make sure he was okay.”

And the doctor reassures her that bringing Jacob to the ER was the right thing to do, “Since this is a problem that can run anywhere from something not too serious to life-threatening.”

In the meantime, Jacob can go home. Dr. Ziegler says, “It’s really just waiting for his culture results… having the parents observe him closely… continue to feed him and hydrate him.”

He also says if any of Jacob’s symptoms get worse, his parents should bring him back to his own pediatrician, or to the ER.

Related Information

By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

Bloody diarrhea is a fairly common, but potentially serious, condition affecting many children. Medical professionals will ask questions to determine whether the child’s diarrhea is acute diarrhea or persistent, or chronic, diarrhea. Acute diarrhea lasts less than 14 days, while chronic diarrhea continues for over two weeks. In both cases, it is important to drink plenty of fluids because dehydration is a common occurrence among people suffering from diarrhea. According to experts at Keep Kids Healthy, acute and chronic diarrhea have differing causal factors. Consider the following:

• Acute diarrhea
• Acute viral gastroenteritis – Very common problem in infants and children; usually caused by a stomach virus
• Bacteria (inflammatory acute diarrhea) – Symptoms include bloody stools that are mucousy, fever, cramps and abdominal pain, and a loss of appetite
• Parasites (protozoal enteric gastroenteritis) – Children with these infections typically have large amounts of watery diarrhea without blood, abdominal cramping, decreased appetite and weight loss
• Food poisoning

Chronic (persistent) diarrhea

• Chronic gastroenteritis – Caused by infections, including those caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites
• Postinfectious diarrhea – Sometimes occurs in children with gastroenteritis and may be from an intolerance to lactose or proteins in cow’s milk
• Toddler’s Diarrhea (chronic nonspecific diarrhea) – Usually occurs in children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years; causes loose, watery stools in children without other symptoms
• Malabsorption – Can be caused by many different medical conditions, including cystic fibrosis, short bowel syndrome, celiac disease, gluten sensitive enteropathy, and infections, especially Giardiasis
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease – Includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
• Lactose intolerance

Tips for Parents

By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

If you have noticed blood in your child’s stools, you will want to let his/her pediatrician know so the doctor can make a proper diagnosis. According to the Texas Children’s Hospital, you will want to contact the doctor immediately if …

• Your child looks or acts very sick.
• You notice a large amount of blood, blood alone without any stool, or red toilet water.
• The stool is tarry or black-colored.
• The urine is pink or tea-colored.
• Your child has vomited blood.
• Abdominal pain or crying is also present.
• You notice skin bruises not caused by an injury.
• Your child is less than 12 weeks old.

You will want to contact your doctor within 24 hours if you notice blood in the stools but none of the items listed above.

References

• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Emergency Services
• Keep Kids Healthy
• Texas Children’s Hospital

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