A 60-year-old man with dark stools for a week should make you suspect which condition?

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Multiple Choice

A 60-year-old man with dark stools for a week should make you suspect which condition?

Explanation:
Dark, tarry stools indicate melena, which comes from blood that has been digested as it passes through the upper GI tract. This means the source is above the stomach/duodenum, such as the stomach or esophagus, rather than lower in the GI tract. Lower GI bleeding usually produces bright red or maroon stools. While colon cancer can bleed, it more commonly causes occult blood or intermittent visible blood in stool rather than the characteristic black, tarry stool. Diverticulitis presents with abdominal pain and inflammatory signs, not dark stools. So a week of dark stools in a 60-year-old best points to an upper GI bleed.

Dark, tarry stools indicate melena, which comes from blood that has been digested as it passes through the upper GI tract. This means the source is above the stomach/duodenum, such as the stomach or esophagus, rather than lower in the GI tract. Lower GI bleeding usually produces bright red or maroon stools. While colon cancer can bleed, it more commonly causes occult blood or intermittent visible blood in stool rather than the characteristic black, tarry stool. Diverticulitis presents with abdominal pain and inflammatory signs, not dark stools. So a week of dark stools in a 60-year-old best points to an upper GI bleed.

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