Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Rectal bleeding can refer to any blood that passes from your anus, although rectal bleeding is usually assumed to refer to bleeding from your lower colon or rectum. Your rectum makes up the lower portion of your large intestine.

Rectal bleeding may show up as blood in your stool, on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl. Blood that results from rectal bleeding is usually bright red in color, but occasionally can be dark maroon.

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Dec. 07, 2023

See also

  1. Carcinoid tumors
  2. Colon cancer
  3. Colon Cancer Family Registry
  4. Colon cancer screening: At what age can you stop?
  5. Colon cancer screening
  6. Colon polyps
  7. Colorectal Cancer
  8. Diverticulitis
  9. GI Stents
  10. Hemorrhoids
  11. Mayo Clinic Minute: What you need to know about polyps in your colon
  12. What is ulcerative colitis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  13. Living with an ostomy
  14. Plague
  15. Proctitis
  16. Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome
  17. Symptom Checker
  18. Ulcerative colitis
  19. Ulcerative colitis flare-ups: 5 tips to manage them