A patient who is visiting the clinic complains of having "stomach pains for 2 weeks" and describes his stools as being "soft and black" for approximately the last 10 days. He denies taking any medications. The nurse is aware that these symptoms are mostly indicative of:
a. Excessive fat caused by malabsorption.
b. Increased iron intake, resulting from a change in diet.
c. Occult blood, resulting from gastrointestinal bleeding.
d. Absent bile pigment from liver problems.
ANS: C
Black stools may be tarry as a result of occult blood (melena) from gastrointestinal bleeding or nontarry from ingestion of iron medications (not diet). Excessive fat causes the stool to become frothy. The absence of bile pigment causes clay-colored stools.
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