Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Children: What to do

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is any bleeding taking place in the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding can be fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, abdominal pain and bleeding from the anus while passing stool. If left untreated, gastrointestinal bleeding can be fatal.

The following are severe symptoms and diseases which are associated with LGIB in children:

• Diarrhea, blood and mucus in stool are symptoms of infectious diarrhea or food allergies
• Hard stool or pain when defecating, which points towards anal fissures or hemorrhoids
• No constipation or abdominal pain, but bleeding while defecating points to polyps or vascular malformation. If there is severe bleeding and the stool is jelly-like in texture, your child might be suffering from Meckel’s diverticulum.
• Abdominal pain with palpable rash points towards Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (an inflammatory disorder of the small blood vessels in the skin, joints, intestines and kidneys)
• Patients who suffer from nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, swelling abdomen and severe abdominal pain should be concern about these symptoms developing into surgical conditions
• Chronic abdominal pain, bloody stool, weight loss, or poor appetite can be signs of inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

If your child has lower gastrointestinal bleeding, their stools may be maroon colored or mixed with bright red blood.

There are several ways to test for LGIB. One such way would be to determine if there is rectal bleeding. A physician may request a stool sample be sent to the lab to see if it is bloody, or simply discolored due to intake of red colored foods. The stool can also be tested for any harmful bacteria or parasites. The doctor may also carry out a Meckel’s Scan or a rectal examination through the method of proctoscopy, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.

Treatments depends on the condition your child has, and how much bleeding has taken place. The following are types of treatments which your child’s doctor may perform:

• Stool softener and cream in the case of anal fissure or hemorrhoid
• Antibiotics for patients suffering from infectious colitis
• Avoid certain food that can trigger an allergic reaction
• Therapeutic colonoscopy or endoscopy for patients with active bleeding or polyps
• Surgery in the case of intussusception or other surgical conditions
• Radiology intervention
• Specific medication for inflammatory bowel disease

After treatment, your child’s doctor will want to follow up and make sure that the problem has been resolved and that your child has returned to full health.

Resources:

1. Accessed from Pediatrics Clerkship: Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding: https://pedclerk.bsd.uchicago.edu/page/lower-gastrointestinal-bleeding
   Date accessed October 27, 2015.
2. Accessed from Medscape: Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/188478-overview. Date accessed October 27, 2015.
3. Accessed from Patient: Rectal bleeding in children:
   http://patient.info/doctor/rectal-bleeding-in-children. Date accessed November 4, 2015.

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