DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST
for Bloody diarrhea

Why: to establish if acute or chronic.

Why: e.g. large volume suggests small bowel disease; small volume suggests large bowel disease.

Why: presence of severe rectal bleeding with diarrhea would suggest diverticulitis, colon cancer, amebic dysentery, bacillary dysentery.

Why: may suggest inflammatory bowel disease.

Why: may help differentiate between acute gastroenteritis and food poisoning.

Why: e.g. less developed countries such as India - may suggest travelers diarrhea especially amoebiasis or Enterohemorrhagic E.Coli (EHEC).

Why: e.g. ischemic colitis occurs in the setting of widespread peripheral vascular disease or cardiac disease.

Why: colon or rectal cancer; inflammatory bowel disease.

Why: may indicate Clostridium difficile infection as a complication of certain antibiotics.

Why: would suggest ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, amebic dysentery or bacterial dysentery (e.g. shigella, salmonella, campylobacter jejuni, yersinia enterocolitica, enteroinvasive and enterohemorrhagic E.Coli).

Why: suggests gastroenteritis or food poisoning.

Why: may suggest bacterial dysentery, amebic dysentery, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease or ischemic colitis. Central colicky abdominal pain indicates involvement of the small bowel e.g. gastroenteritis, while lower abdominal pain points to the large bowel e.g. inflammatory bowel disease.

Why: may suggest bacterial dysentery, amebic dysentery, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis.

Why: may suggest colon cancer, Crohn's disease.

Why: diarrhea can causing anal irritation.

Why: e.g. lethargy, dizziness, depression, shortness of breath or angina.