What does green stool mean in an adult. Green stool in an adult. Causes and treatment of pathology. Diseases that cause green stools

Green feces in an adult can be for various reasons. Often the stool changes its color under the influence of various diseases or disorders of the functioning of internal organs and systems. But often feces change their color and consistency due to improper diet. To establish the exact cause of the pathological condition, it is necessary to conduct a diagnostic examination.

The composition of the feces includes dying cells of the intestinal mucosa, various bacteria, remnants of bile, fluid and undigested food. In the process of defecation, feces leave the human body, thereby ridding it of waste. As noted earlier, the color and consistency of feces may vary depending on various factors and indicate the presence of serious pathologies.

The following factors can affect the increase in the amount of feces:

• frequent constipation;
• development of cholecystitis or chronic form of pancreatitis;
• inflammation of the intestine, which is often accompanied by a violation of the digestive processes;
• the anatomical feature of the intestine, due to which the food mass moves too quickly through it;
• excessive amount of fiber in the daily diet.

The density of feces and the degree of density can also vary depending on some factors:

• with spasms of the intestines or constipation, feces are usually hard;
• violation of the liver is often accompanied by the appearance of clay stools;
• increased intestinal peristalsis leads to the appearance of mushy stools. Also, this symptom manifests itself with increased intestinal secretion;
• violations in the work of the pancreas are often accompanied by ointment feces;
• loose stools usually indicate diarrhea or insufficient absorption in the small intestine;
• excrement can also have a foamy consistency, which experts often associate with the development of fermentation processes in the intestinal cavity.

Note! The stool has an unpleasant odor caused by pathological processes in the body. If the intestinal function is somehow disturbed, then under the influence of pathogenic microorganisms, insufficiently digested food rots or begins to ferment, which is accompanied by the release of hydrogen sulfide.

In the absence of health problems, feces are brown. This is due to the presence of breakdown products of hemoglobin and bilins (as bile pigments are called in medicine). When certain foods are consumed, shades of brown can change, but such color changes do not always indicate serious diseases. Minor deviations are not a cause for concern, but if the feces turn green, then medical attention is required.

The main causes of stool color change

If a person notices that his stool has an unusual green tint, especially if the stool is contaminated with mucus, then an examination should be carried out, since this phenomenon often occurs with gastrointestinal disorders. All causative factors can be divided into physiological and pathological. The former are more associated with the life of the patient, and the pathological ones are associated with the course of concomitant diseases, one of the symptoms of which is a change in color. Let's consider each group separately.

Physiological factors

In such cases, certain foods that were previously eaten affect the discoloration of feces. Despite the fact that such changes do not threaten health, each person should still know which products can provoke such deviations. If foods contain food colorings (such as iron), this can lead to green stools.

Green feces may also appear after taking certain medications and dietary supplements (dietary supplements). The most common of these include:

• pharmaceutical preparations containing seaweed;
• vitamin complexes;
• sorbitol and glucose;
• preparations containing iodine;
• various herbal preparations, such as laxative teas.

In such cases, you do not need to fear for your health, since the use of the above medicines does not lead to a deterioration in the condition.

Pathological factors

Often the appearance of green feces in adults is associated with the development of certain diseases. If, along with a green stool, a person's body temperature rises, pain in the abdomen or diarrhea appears, you should immediately seek help from a doctor. Only a qualified gastroenterologist, having carried out the necessary procedures, will be able to make an accurate diagnosis. Below are the main pathologies that may be accompanied by greening of feces.

Table. List of diseases in which the color of the stool changes.

On a note! If a change in the color of feces occurs quite often, but medications or food have nothing to do with it, then you need to urgently seek help from a specialist. The doctor will conduct all the necessary studies and make an accurate diagnosis. If the cause is some disease, then the patient will be prescribed an appropriate therapeutic course.

When to See a Doctor

If you are faced with such a phenomenon as a change in the color of feces, then you should consult a doctor in any case, even if there are no other symptoms. Sometimes it is better to once again be extra careful than to ignore a possible disease. Urgent medical attention is required in cases where the green stool has a rotten smell or blood impurities appear in it. As noted earlier, the stool of a healthy person should not be offensive. In such cases, the doctor will conduct a laboratory analysis of feces, thanks to which he will be able to study in detail all the components of the patient's feces. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe additional diagnostic procedures.

If symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, diarrhea and, of course, green stools appear, you should immediately go to the clinic, since various pathogens, including salmonella, can cause such symptoms.

If the appearance of green feces is combined with other alarming symptoms, consult a doctor immediately.

Features of diagnostics

When green stool appears, the doctor, as a rule, prescribes the following diagnostic procedures:

As an addition, the doctor may prescribe other laboratory tests, including blood and urine tests. Based on the results obtained, an accurate diagnosis is made.

How to treat

The course of therapy will directly depend on the causative factor that provoked the appearance of green feces, and the treatment regimen should be selected on an individual basis. For example, if food products have affected the change in the shade of feces, then the patient needs to reconsider his diet and, if necessary, limit or completely exclude certain foods from it. These foods include red meat, cereals, cucumbers, greens. It is recommended to avoid products containing food colorings. To cleanse the body of harmful substances, doctors prescribe Regidron, Smecta, Atoxil and other drugs.

If infectious diseases are the cause of discoloration of feces, then self-medication is categorically not recommended. After determining the severity of the pathology, the doctor prescribes antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs. Often, a change in the color of the stool is accompanied by severe diarrhea, which increases the likelihood of dehydration (along with feces, useful salts and minerals are washed out of the body, which significantly worsens the patient's condition). To restore losses, experts recommend drinking plenty of fluids with the addition of sugar and salt (for 1 liter of water - 1 tsp of salt and sugar).

Also, the appearance of green stools may be accompanied by bouts of vomiting, which indicates food poisoning of the body. In this case, it is necessary to wash the stomach, freeing it from food. For washing, the patient should drink a large amount of warm boiled water. It is necessary to drink before the appearance of vomiting (to speed up the cleaning of the stomach, you can use a weak solution of potassium permanganate).

Video - Causes of green stools in adults

Able to cause real panic in an unprepared person. The first thing that comes to mind is the thought of poisoning, or even a tumor in the intestines or stomach. What actually causes a change in the color of excrement?

Possible reasons

Colors are an occasion to think about your health. Doctors say that feces serve as a kind of indicator of the state of the body. Of course, the reason can be quite harmless. Everyone knows that the basis of feces is the food we eat - it is this that largely determines their shade. Surely you have noticed more than once that beets make the contents of the toilet dark red. As for the green color, you may have eaten a product that contained an excess of green dye. By the way, dark green feces are often observed in vegetarians: the culprit is fresh greens, which form the basis of their diet.

Child's feces

Small colds, then teeth are cut, then the tummy hurts. Therefore, any changes in the color and consistency of feces in babies cause fair concern for parents. Often the first impulse is the desire to grab the child in an armful and run to the doctor. However, this should not be done. Do not forget that the body of a little man is still developing. Dark green feces in a child can be caused by artificial feeding - this means that the milk formula that you give him is not suitable in composition. Try replacing it with a similar product from another manufacturer. Another fairly common cause is dysbacteriosis. This disease is a real scourge among babies. It is caused by and almost always accompanied by bowel problems. Naturally, this affects the state of feces.

Dark green stool in an adult

This phenomenon is observed not only in infants, but also in quite adults. It is easy to guess that it - one way or another - is connected with the state of the digestive system. It is possible that a person has impaired absorption of iron in the intestines. You accept Then there is no doubt - that is the reason. In addition, a strange color of feces can signal the presence of an inflammatory process or infection. In this case, it is caused by the accumulation of dead white blood cells, excreted from the body naturally. Also, impurities of greenery are characteristic of gastric bleeding. If this symptom does not go away for a long period of time, you should be examined for stomach ulcers and gastritis. Finally, patients taking antibiotics often complain about green stools. By the way, this often becomes a predisposing factor to the occurrence of dysbacteriosis.

Solution

If you are seriously concerned about your health, follow the advice of experts: pay attention to the accompanying signs. Are you suffering from bloating, gas? Do you feel pain after every meal? It would be advisable to donate feces for dysbacteriosis. Do you feel nausea, weakness, fever? You are clearly suffering from an infection. The doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis only after you pass all the necessary tests.

Of particular concern to people is the green color of feces, since it is a characteristic symptom of dysentery, a dangerous dehydration of the body. However, you should not immediately suspect this disease in yourself, because others may have green stools.

Stool color is influenced by bilirubin, a substance found in bile. Its concentration also affects the color of the bile itself, which can be either dark or light yellow.

Loose green stools are common for vegetarians on a vegetable-heavy diet. In the process of developing diarrhea, they increase the level of bilirubin and biliverdin.

Green feces with a yellowish tint can be explained by carbohydrate fermentation - a pathology in which there is no breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates. If the stool is greenish-black in color, it may indicate an increased iron content in the body, which often happens after taking certain medications.

Green stool as a sign of serious illness

While the immune system is fighting the disease, the patient's intestines turn into a place of accumulation of dead white blood cells. The result of this process is a green stool with a putrid odor.

The green color of bowel movements in adults may be due to the use of alcoholic beverages and foods with food coloring.

Another factor that provokes the release of green feces in is bleeding in any of the intestines. The change in the color of the stool in this case has an explanation, as the destruction of iron molecules in. The pathology is supplemented with signs of anemia - weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, frequent pulse.

Causes of green stool in newborns

A change in the color of feces does not only happen in a child. Often causes concern and green feces in an adult, the reason for the change in the color of the stool depends on many factors.

A healthy stool has a well-formed appearance and an average consistency. Normal feces are brown, brown-yellowish or light brown in color. The feces do not exude the smell of rot, decomposition or fermentation.

Causes of the formation of green feces in adults

A green or marsh shade of stool in adults appears for various reasons. These are physiological reasons when feces are stained with natural green dyes, chemical compounds included in vitamins and medicines, food additives, foods, food coloring. Pathological causes include diseases.

Foods that change stool color

Many food products affect the composition of fecal secretions of an adult and a teenager. After their use, a green stool is formed, the reason for this coloring of excrement is chlorophyll. This group includes:

• green onion feather;
• parsley;
• wild garlic;
• green peas;
• string beans;
• dill;
• broccoli;
• spinach;
• blueberries, irgi, blueberries;
• seaweed.

Why don't all healthy people who eat fresh vegetables, berries and spices get "green poop"? The reason lies in the different course of metabolic processes in the body. The amount of food eaten is also important.

The more food saturated with chlorophyll and bright green pigments, the more green appears in the feces. The stool may be green (or swampy) after eating red fish, beef, horse meat, beans.

Greenish, gray-green, dark green fecal discharge often occurs in people sitting on strict vegetable diets. The food sets of vegans and people who eat only raw fruits and vegetables are also loaded with greens, which causes the color of the feces to change. This is often observed among lovers of carbonated drinks, confectionery, tinted with food pigments.

Food colorings

Natural food colors are made from natural plant pigments and obtained by synthesis. There are several dyes that give creams, pasta, sweets, jellies, drinks, marmalades, ice cream and other products a greenish tint (color).

The use of products tinted with pigments, special nutrition for athletes is one of the reasons for the formation of greenish stools. Pigmented stools may acquire a greenish-yellow tint, they may be yellow. Due to the synthetic pigment, which is poorly decomposed in the liver, the poop color is similar to the color of kiwi.

REFERENCE: High-quality products and food coloring, which cause the excretion of excrement with a greenish tinge, do not change their consistency. There is no putrid or other fetid, unpleasant odor during bowel movements. Feces are moderately hard, thick, and formed.

Vitamins, dietary supplements and medicines

Manufacturers of medicines and supplements indicate in the instructions information about a possible change in the color of the fecal mass when taking the drug. The list of drugs that cause greenish and green-black feces includes:

• drugs to combat iron deficiency anemia;
• vitamin complex products containing iron;
• medicines to relieve constipation;
• iodine-containing preparations;
• biologically active food supplements containing iron, chlorophyll concentrate and iodine;
• seaweed supplements;
• drugs for the treatment of hyperacid gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers (Vikair, De-nol);
• antibiotics.

Vikair

Diseases in which the stool turns green

If an adult did not eat foods and dyes, and the feces became greenish, this means that pathological processes are occurring in the body.

As a rule, other symptoms also manifest themselves in diseases. This means that the patient needs treatment. The list of pathologies includes:

1. Intestinal infectious diseases.
2. Dysbacteriosis.
3. Poisoning (including the toxic effects of alcohol).
4. Recovery period after poisoning.
5. Intolerance to lactose or fructose.
6. Gastric ulcer.
7. Colitis.
8. Intestinal neoplasms (benign and malignant).
9. Enteritis.
10. celiac disease
11. Inflammatory process in the intestines.
12. Diseases of the thyroid and pancreas, gallbladder.
13. Hepatitis.
14. Diabetes.
15. Individual reaction to the product.

With different diseases, feces have a different consistency, smell, color, inclusions. The frequency of defecation will be different. The development of the disease is evidenced by the increase in the severity of the condition and the aggravation of symptoms, the rapidity of the development of the disease. By staining the secretions, you can preliminarily suspect the presence of a particular disease.

Green liquid stool

Liquid, green-colored feces occur with intestinal infections - salmonellosis and dysentery. These infectious diseases are accompanied by a number of painful symptoms. They begin rapidly, in the period from two to three hours to three days after bacteria enter the stomach, and lead to the loss of water by the patient's body.

Salmonellosis is often severe. Typical signs of the disease:

• diarrhea up to ten times a day;
• pain in the abdomen (in the navel);
• high temperature (up to 38-40 degrees);
• nausea and vomiting.

Feces with salmonellosis are liquid, frothy and watery, green lumps with mucus are visible in the secretions. The fecal mass resembles swamp mud. The smell of feces is sharp and unpleasant. On the 3rd day, diarrhea begins with blood in the form of streaks, which makes the pain worse. In some forms of the disease, in a serious condition, a rash, a decrease in blood pressure, and tachycardia may appear, from which the patient's condition deteriorates sharply.

Dysentery occurs with similar symptoms. Stool with this disease is frequent, but not very plentiful. Feces are yellow-brown with an admixture of greenery, or dark green. In the fecal masses there are streaks of red blood, a lot of mucus, pus is possible. With this disease, there are frequent ineffectual urges, vomiting, headaches.

A liquid greenish stool is formed with dysbacteriosis and enteritis. Similar feces are formed in some blood diseases.

green thick stools and constipation

In some adults, feces change color when constipated. Fecal secretions during this period are difficult to pass, they resemble pellets and balls of green or gray color with greenery.

If the cockles of babies turn green when changing food, introducing inappropriate complementary foods (due to the imperfection of the child's digestive system), then in adults it is not easy to identify the cause of such changes. The patient needs to visit a local therapist and a gastroenterologist.

Before treating constipation, it is required to pass tests prescribed by the attending physicians. The cause of the malaise can be dysbacteriosis, taking drugs that destroy the bacterial flora, and the constant consumption of food colored with green pigments. You can not postpone a medical examination if constipation is accompanied by swelling, pain, blood is visible in the fecal secretions.

Light green fecal matter

Excrement of light green color, brown feces "with greenery", appears when taking certain antibacterial drugs. It is not dangerous, but you should consult your doctor. The consistency of fecal secretions is thick and shaped. Due to the fact that the microflora dies, the excrement is almost odorless.

An alarming sign in this case is vomiting. If the patient has an elevated body temperature, the stomach hurts, you should visit a doctor immediately.

Black and green chair

Dark, well-formed feces occur after taking activated charcoal. But often black, black-green, dark green feces appear when bleeding in the walls of the intestine or stomach. The blood has time to clot by the time of defecation, as evidenced by the dark, almost black color of the feces.

The cause of bleeding is a burst vessel or neoplasm, which requires an early visit to the doctor, or even an ambulance call. Intestinal bleeding is stopped in a hospital.

Yellow-green stools

With pancreatitis, feces are yellow-green or gray, it can be whitish or light yellow. Feces are liquid, they exude a sharp, fetid, nauseating smell. After defecation, the stool is poorly washed off, the surface of the discharge is smooth and shiny.

There are a lot of plant fibers in the feces, fatty inclusions are observed. Fats in them appear due to a lack of lipase (a digestive enzyme) that breaks down these compounds. The amount of fat in the feces increases if the patient eats a lot of fat-containing foods.

Video

Green chair - what to do

Staining feces in an unusual color should alert. But this is not a reason to panic. Perhaps the cause was menu errors. Recall your diet in the previous two to three days. With a normal consistency of secretions and excellent health, anxiety will be unnecessary. After a couple of days, the intestines will restore the normal brown color of the feces.

If food poisoning is the cause of the discoloration, but the person feels healthy enough, it is recommended to buy over-the-counter drugs at the pharmacy: activated carbon, Enterosgel. They are taken after cleaning the stomach with two to three liters of water, according to the instructions.

Activated carbon

Enterosgel

In the future, to suppress the gag reflex, normalize water-salt metabolism and restore bowel function, Regidron. Probiotics are needed to restore the microflora (Lactobacterin, Colibacterin, Bifikol or other drugs).

Regidron

Lactobacterin

Colibacterin

A sparing diet will help restore the body. Fatty foods (animal oil, lard), sausages, smoked foods, soda, bread, pastries, herbs, products colored with pigments, and milk are removed from the diet.

The menu during the recovery period includes pureed vegetable soups, mashed potatoes and porridge boiled in water, kissels, herbal tea and compotes, yogurt, kefir. You can eat low-fat protein foods - lean fish, meat (pay attention to the number of kcal).

When Medical Assistance Is Needed

What should be done if the usual color of the stool is not restored? Of course, visit the district doctor, without waiting for the body to cope on its own. What to say to the doctor? It is necessary to say everything as it is: “I don’t go to the toilet the way I always do, in green, and my health worries me.”

A visit to the clinic is not postponed if a change in the color of the excrement is accompanied by changes in blood pressure, lethargy, poor sleep, indigestion, fever, vomiting, pain.

An extremely dangerous situation is when black-green feces are combined with severe weakness, chills, sweating, vomiting with black masses. These are symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient needs to call the ambulance service, as the pathology can lead to serious consequences and even death.

The appearance of unusually colored feces is not always a sign of illness. Green shit often speaks only of errors in the diet. But this is an occasion to carefully monitor your body so as not to miss the development of a serious pathology.

Improper diet can lead to green stool for several reasons. Among them, it is worth highlighting the consumption of greens, foods rich in iron and artificial dyes in a separate group. Green feces in a child and an adult may appear as a result of eating:

• green leafy crops - lettuce, dill, onion, broccoli, spinach, savoy cabbage;
• black licorice;
• vegetable puree as part of baby food;
• fruit juices;
• caramel with dyes;
• cereals and muesli;
• red meat and sea fish;
• red beans.

Dark green stools may persist for up to five days after taking the above foods. Additives or artificial colors can give bright green stools.

In infants, green feces can persist throughout the first month of life. This is due to the adaptation period and breastfeeding. If the feces at the same time acquire an unpleasant pungent odor, and the baby's body temperature rises and appetite disappears, then an infectious disease should be suspected and medical attention should be sought.

Green feces in infants are not uncommon during teething. In this case, the formation of a shade is imprinted by excess saliva. In response, a sufficiently large amount of bile is thrown out, which can cause abdominal cramps and green feces.

In newborns, green feces may be residual effects of the discharge of original feces. But with prolonged jaundice, additional studies of liver function and should be carried out. Sometimes in infancy, thus, intestinal dysbacteriosis and intolerance to milk protein are manifested.

What causes green stool in an adult?

In the vast majority of cases, the green color of adult stool comes from the numerous nutritional supplements that we like to take without consulting our doctor first. Many of them can be harmful to health. But most dietary supplements simply cause various side effects. Green stools may appear if you are taking:

• iron supplements;
• herbal laxatives;
• seaweed and chlorophyll;
• vitamins and minerals;
• iodine preparations;
• sorbitol and fructose.

Pathological causes of green feces in children and adults

If we exclude the alimentary factor, then there are a number of other reasons for the appearance of green stools. These factors may be associated with disorders of the intestines and other related organs and systems.

It is worth knowing that in its natural form, in which bile is secreted from the cavity of the gallbladder, it has a rich green color. When passing through the intestines, it gradually changes its color, taking on a dark brown color. If the bile passes too quickly, then it retains its original color and stains the feces with a green color.

This may help;

1. food poisoning;
2. lamblia;
3. salmonellosis;
4. rotavirus infection;
5. intolerance to lactose, fructose;
6. malabsorption syndrome;
7. celiac disease;
8. Crohn's disease;
9. thyrotoxicosis - an increased level of the hormone thyroxine in the blood, usually due to an autoimmune thyroid disease;
10. violation of intestinal innervation in diabetes mellitus;
11. violation of the process of absorption of bile acids in the small intestine;
12. inflammation of the small intestine, mainly due to Crohn's disease;
13. surgical removal of the ileum.

You should consult a doctor if green stools are accompanied by severe pain along the large and small intestines. If the body temperature rises and vomiting occurs. If green stools are observed for more than five days.

You should be checked for dysbacteriosis, carriage of shigella and.

What to do if you have green stools?

Green bowel movements due to food eaten or medications and nutritional supplements taken are normal and do not require any action. In all other cases, especially if symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss or general malaise are present, you should see a doctor because you may have a serious illness.