The symptoms of lower gastrointestinal bleeding may include:

•  Feeling rectal pain and/or pressure
• Seeing bright red blood in or on your stool, underwear, toilet paper on in the toilet bowl
• Having stools that are red or maroon in colour
• Experiencing mental confusion
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Fainting

 If your bleeding is chronic i.e., over a long period of time, you may develop anaemia. Symptoms of anaemia may include feeling tired or short of breath.

 If you develop sudden bleeding, you may experience a drop in blood pressure and a rapid pulse, have problems urinating and may fall unconscious. This is an emergency and you – or someone else – should call 999 immediately.

Colonic bleeding can occur as a result of an anal fissure, diverticular bleeding, colon polyps or haemorrhoids (piles). Haemorrhoids are the most common cause of colonic bleeding.

Antithrombotic medications, such as warfarin, which reduce the formation of blood clots or treat heart arrythmias can also cause lower GI bleeding.

Colonic bleeding often stops on its own. If it doesn't, treatment will depend on where the bleed is.

There are no home treatments for severe colonic bleeding.  You can avoid haemorrhoids or anal fissures by: 

• Ensuring you have a diet high in fibre – such as prunes, broccoli, and wholegrains
• Drinking plenty of fluids
• Taking a stool softener such as Fybogel
• Avoiding straining on the toilet
• Using moist towelettes or cotton wool instead of toilet paper

If the above doesn’t help, you may need to have surgery to remove or fix them.

How is colonic bleeding diagnosed?

Your specialist may use the following tests to help diagnose the cause of your colonic bleeding:

Stool test

A stool test can show whether you have blood in your stool which cannot be seen with the naked eye (also known as occult blood).

Blood test

A blood test can diagnose the extent of your bleeding and whether you’ve developed anaemia.

Endoscopy

An endoscopy involves looking inside your body via an instrument called an endoscope. The type of endoscopy you need will depend on where your Consultant thinks the bleeding is coming from. If they believe the bleeding is coming from your colon, they may recommend you have a colonoscopy. If they suspect the bleeding is in your sigmoid colon, they may recommend a flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Abdominal CT scan

A CT (or Computed Tomography) scan creates detailed images of the inside of your gastrointestinal tract so your Consultant can identify any issues.

In many cases, medication, or a procedure to control the bleeding can be given as part of diagnostic tests. For example, it's possible to treat a bleeding peptic ulcer during an upper endoscopy or to remove polyps during a colonoscopy.

If you have acute bleeding, or your bleeding doesn’t stop, you might be referred for a laparoscopy or laparotomy to stop the bleeding.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a symptom of a disorder in your digestive tract. To help prevent a gastrointestinal bleed, you can:

• Limit your use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Limit your use of alcohol
• Give up smoking
• If you have gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), continue to follow your doctor’s advice to treat it