Definition

Noun: 1. A medical condition: The passage of black, tarry, and foul-smelling feces, indicating the presence of digested blood, usually originating from bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract (e.g., stomach, small intestine).

Usage

• Medical Diagnosis: The term is used almost exclusively in medical contexts to describe a specific clinical sign.
• Symptom Description: It is used to report a symptom to a healthcare provider or to document a patient's condition.
• Formal Register: It is a formal, technical term. In everyday conversation, a description like "black, tarry stool" is more common.

Examples

• The patient was admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain and melena.
• Melena is a serious symptom that requires immediate medical evaluation to find the source of bleeding.
• The doctor asked if there was any history of melena or bright red blood in the stool.

Advanced Usage

• Distinction from Hematochezia: In medical terminology, melena is distinguished from , which is the passage of fresh, bright red blood from the rectum, typically indicating lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
• Causative Factors: Melena can be caused by conditions such as peptic ulcers, gastritis, esophageal varices, or certain medications.

Variants and Related Words

• Melaena: An alternative spelling, commonly used in British English.
• Hematemesis (noun): The vomiting of blood, which often occurs alongside melena in cases of upper GI bleeding.
• Hematochezia (noun): The passage of fresh blood in the stool, contrasted with melena.

Synonyms

• Black tarry stool
• Tarry feces (medical description)

Notes

• There are no idioms or phrasal verbs associated with this highly specific medical term.
• It functions solely as a noun.

Noun

1. abnormally dark tarry feces containing blood (usually from gastrointestinal bleeding)