Sharp sudden pain in lower abdomen/ red blood in stool

I have had had issues with defication since I was about 15 or so, I am currently 31. I see blood on the toilet paper regularly and occassionally bleed enough into the water to turn it bright red. When I was 16 or so I went to a doctor who diagnosed hemmoids. I underwent treatment to no avail and decied that I would just live with it. On occassion when I am not using the bathroom I get extremely sharp pains inside my lower abdomen and passing stool is regularly painful but not unbearable. Recently I have been deficating 4 or 5 times a day and it is loose 90% of the time. I have passes throught times like this in the past and there are times when everything seems to be working normally. I want to know if these symptoms point to anything serious or if I can continue to not seek treatment. Thanks in advance.

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi,
Abdominal apin with loose stools could indicate colitis.
Infection is the commonest cause.
Stool test may be done to look for infection.
If it is chronic UC could be a possibility. Sigmoidoscopy may be done for evaluation.