Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Diagnosis Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Question:
Can you have irritable bowel syndrome with blood in your stool?  I was given a diagnosis of IBS by my gastro and I'm a bit confused by this.

Answer:
You may well have IBS, but it isn't causing the blood in your stool. Something else is causing that.  Although indirectly, I guess, the IBS could cause constipation, which could cause hemorrhoids or anal fissures.  With anal fissures you usually see blood on the toilet paper but not so much on the stool itself.  Hemorrhoids tend to bleed a little more than fissures and you're more likely to see some blood in the toilet.  If your gastroenterologist told you the IBS itself directly causes bloody stools, I'd get a second opinion. Bloody stools are not on anybody's list of symptoms for IBS.  People with IBS often have mucus in their stools, though.  Chances are he's diagnosed IBS because he feels confident he's ruled out ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease with the biopsies and the sigmoidoscopy. I've observed that incidents like this are more often failures in patient education than failures in diagnosis.  In your place I might call and ask him to explain how he's ruled out these other conditions, considering the blood in your stools.  After that conversation you'll either understand his reasoning and feel reassured, or you'll feel like you need another gastro.