What turns feces green. Questions. Why is the stool green: pathological causes

Green stool in an adult can be a sign of malnutrition, infectious diseases, or taking a number of drugs.

If the color of the feces changes once, most likely, the reason is the use of provoking foods. When a change in shade is observed for a long period, accompanied by diarrhea, mucus, or the release of drops of blood during bowel movements, you should consult a specialist to make an accurate diagnosis.

The main factors that provoke a change in the color of feces

The norm is considered to be bowel movements once every 1-2 days, while the color of feces should have a brown tint. What can be a slight deviation from accepted standards?

There are a number of physiological and pathological factors:

Eating food that affects various processes in the body or has a large amount of coloring substances in its composition.

An imbalance in the bacterial environment of the body, an infectious disease, poisoning, allergic reactions, the development of pathologies of internal organs, in particular those related to the digestive tract.
Taking certain medications.

Changes you shouldn't worry about

Fans of sweets, such as marmalade, jelly, and other foods high in dyes, may occasionally notice greenish stools.

In addition, other products also affect the color of feces:

In this case, a revision of the diet will help to normalize the situation. If a few days after the exclusion of provoking foods, the color of the feces has not changed, then other reasons must be considered.

Change in stool color when taking medication

Feces can turn green when consumed:

Iodine preparations.
Laxatives, in particular herbal medicines.
Sorbitol.
Glucose.
Chlorophyll.
Vitamin complexes.
iron-containing drugs.
Medicines based on seaweed.

Usually, a possible change in the color of feces is mentioned in the annotation to the drug. If you cancel such drugs, then within 5 days the feces acquire a characteristic dark brown hue. If you take a radiopaque substance, the stool may become gray, but after 2-3 days the condition returns to normal on its own.

Antibiotics with prolonged use disrupt the intestinal microflora, causing dysbacteriosis, which entails a change in the normal color of feces to green.

A consequence of the development of a pathological environment

Feces in an adult can acquire a peculiar shade with the appearance of gastrointestinal diseases.

Most often diagnosed:

Dysbacteriosis. Due to the imbalance of intestinal microorganisms, the process of digestion of food is disrupted, food residues rot, which may be accompanied by a violation of the frequency and color of the stool.
Dysentery. The condition is characterized by acute pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The patient develops weakness, the temperature rises sharply.
Salmonellosis. Entering the body, an intestinal infection causes a sharp rise in temperature, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Rotavirus infection. The stools have a liquid consistency with an admixture of mucus and an unpleasant odor. The patient has signs of intoxication, weakness and a sharp rise in temperature.
Enteritis. The inflammatory process in the intestine is manifested by diarrhea, nausea, pain in the abdomen, weakness.
Tumors of various etiologies, internal bleeding or complication of an ulcer. Green color occurs when iron is oxidized in erythrocytes.
Diseases of the circulatory system. When the decaying red blood cells begin to produce insufficient amounts of bilirubin from hemoglobin, there is not enough pigment to color the feces, and they are excreted in an unchanged green color. Liver problems such as hepatitis also lead to the same consequences.

With infectious lesions of the intestine, a bright green hue of the stool, a rise in temperature, weakness and an admixture of mucus in the stools are observed. In case of poisoning, these symptoms are accompanied by vomiting and severe abdominal pain..

Allergies to food can be manifested by a change in the color of the stool, along with the presence of mucus and undigested food debris in it. With gluten intolerance, liquid feces with an unpleasant odor are observed. And lactose indigestion is characterized by the onset of diarrhea with green stools immediately after eating dairy products.

In babies under 6 months, green stools may indicate an increase in bilirubin. At this age, the condition can normalize on its own.

Often a change in shade is associated with a transition to another mixture. This is due to the immaturity of the digestive system. The food of a breastfeeding mother also plays a role in many respects, since all substances from the products penetrate into the milk.

What color of feces indicates a disease of the internal organs?

Many do not know what diseases change the shade of feces. It should be noted that these are mainly pathologies of the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, stomach and intestines.

Green feces may be the result of inflammation of the intestine or the development of a tumor of this organ, intoxication of the body, celiac disease.
Red-brown indicates the presence of minor internal bleeding in the lower digestive tract. Observations show that this means damage to the intestinal walls. When the feces move through the intestine, the mucous membranes are injured, blood is released through small cracks and enters the feces.
Black may indicate bleeding in organs located in the upper parts of the digestive system.
Yellow-green indicates carbohydrate fermentation. This condition occurs with diseases of the pancreas, for example, diabetes mellitus.
Gray-green or white indicates the absence of bile in the intestine. Pathology occurs with liver disease and when the gallbladder has stones or a tumor that clogs the excretory ducts.

Symptoms associated with green stools

If the color change occurs due to the intake of medications or provocative products, then there are no other signs of the disease. When the problem is caused by the ingress of pathogenic microorganisms, the development of ailments of internal organs, hidden bleeding, the following symptoms occur simultaneously with green feces:

Abdominal pain. Usually its localization indicates the location of the diseased organ.
Nausea and vomiting.
Diarrhea.
Bad smell of stool.
The presence of mucus or.
Elevated temperature.
General deterioration of health: headache, dizziness, weakness, fatigue.

green stool in pregnant women

Expectant mothers try to monitor their diet, so they consume a large amount of plant foods. Spinach and broccoli contain chlorophyll, which can cause faecal discoloration.

In addition, to prevent anemia and destruction of bone tissue during pregnancy, vitamin complexes rich in iron and calcium are prescribed. Also, black feces can be the result of taking activated charcoal during gas formation.

The color of feces, with a temporary change, does not affect the condition of the baby. But if, after the abolition of provoking foods and drugs, the condition does not change, this may indicate the presence of various diseases, and the tar-black shade indicates internal bleeding.

Dysbacteriosis is a frequent companion of pregnant women. In this case, diarrhea begins, stools are green.

When making this diagnosis, the doctor prescribes Smecta or Imodium to remove toxins. It is recommended to include whole grain cereals, sour-milk products, green tea in the diet.

In order to prevent serious complications during the period of bearing a baby, for any violations or changes in the color and consistency of the stool, you should consult a doctor.

First aid at home

When changing the color of feces, nutrition should be reviewed, excluding sweets and food rich in chlorophyll and containing dyes from the menu.

With diarrhea, you must take Smecta or Regidron. This will normalize the water-electrolyte balance and avoid dehydration.

Atoxil is an excellent sorbent, which is used to remove toxins, especially when vomiting. But the drug should be taken after gastric lavage.

With severe dysbacteriosis, it is useful to drink probiotics. If no improvement is observed within a few days or the condition is accompanied by a rise in temperature, stools with blood inclusions, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, then you should consult a doctor.

After a series of tests, the specialist will make a diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment. It can be anti-inflammatory, antibacterial drugs, antispasmodics, vitamin complexes. With internal bleeding, urgent hospitalization is indicated, followed by surgical intervention.

Tests to determine the cause of a change in stool color

For a correct diagnosis when green feces appear, when they are not associated with food intake, a series of examinations should be performed:

Complete blood count with the determination of the leukocyte component.
Analysis of urine.
Blood test for biochemistry and electrolytes.
Analysis of feces for bacterial environment.
Abdominal ultrasound.

If indicated, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, CT or MRI of the abdominal cavity may be prescribed.

The green color of feces, like other uncharacteristic shades, may be the result of a number of pathologies. To determine the cause and exclude the presence of the disease, you should consult a doctor in a timely manner and do the necessary tests. Self-medication can worsen the situation, lead to dehydration and damage to internal organs.

The causes of green feces in an adult can be different. First you need to figure out why the feces are green, and whether something can be done at home. If the greenish tint of stool in a person is due to food, and there are no symptoms, you should not panic. If the green stool is provoked by a disease, only a specialist should look for the causes and prescribe treatment.

Causes of discoloration of feces

When the feces turn green, many begin to worry. This is not worth doing, since green feces in an adult are often due to simple natural causes. The most common of these is food.

But also greenish feces appear due to diseases - with salmonellosis, gastritis, dysbacteriosis, after poisoning.

Another reason is the appearance of green feces in an adult after taking medications, including antibiotics. A greenish tint of stool is sometimes formed after Allochol, preparations such as Hofitol, Polysorb or Smecta, after cholagogues or surgical removal of the gallbladder.

All the reasons due to which the feces become green can be divided into two categories: physiological, pathological.

What to do in such a situation?

Kal in adults with a greenish tint necessarily needs a professional study. Especially if green loose stools often form. Unformed stool in an adult is not such a rarity. There may be a situation when it is accompanied by ordinary poisoning, indigestion, or the use of products harmful to the body.

Diarrhea can be stopped by taking tablets such as activated charcoal, but it is better to let all the excess go out of the body. Shades of green feces in adults are different - yellow-green, gray-green or bright green, like the color of fresh grass. If relapses are observed, feces or diarrhea often have an uncharacteristic color, then there is a suspicion of pathology. A black-green or otherwise non-brown feces indicates that the body is suffering from some kind of disease.

Consider separately the physiological and pathological causes.

Physiological factors

An unusual color of feces often appears for reasons that are safe for human health. For example, the color of feces in an adult changes under the influence of several basic physiological factors:

Food. The chair in an adult most often changes its color due to the diet. Low water intake, together with a large amount of iron-containing foods, stains stools. Most of all, red meat, greens, red beans, juices or purees based on green vegetables, and sea fish affect stool masses. When fasting, a person presses on greens in an attempt to lose weight. Hence the corresponding symptoms - the green color of the feces. It is better for you to abandon the dill diet, and switch to a more balanced diet. When you change the diet, you will again return the feces of a light brown healthy color.
Dyes. The reason for the feces of a dark green color may be the use of products that contain a lot of dyes. These are soda, sweets, chewing gum and other, far from the most useful food for the body. In alcoholic beverages, in addition to the alcohol component, dyes are present. Feces after alcohol with dyes are also stained, but after a while, this disappears.
Pharmaceuticals and additives. Defecation may be accompanied by color changes if a person takes pills, vitamins, various supplements. The dark green color of the excrement is often due to the intake of drugs such as glucose, iodine-containing products, Sorbitol, vitamin complexes, herbal laxatives, algae-based drugs or supplements, etc.

Thus, swamp-colored feces in an adult should not always cause serious concern.

But when solid particles are present in the stool, diarrhea, diarrhea, and bitterness in the mouth are observed, be sure to consult a specialist.

Only he will accurately diagnose, determine the causes. Physiological factors are not as dangerous as pathological ones.

Pathological factors

Alas, but not only when taking pills or eating certain foods, stools with an uncharacteristic color are formed. Brown-greenish stools can also mean that there are more serious causes, such as illnesses that need to be treated.

In an adult, loose green stools may indicate progressive diseases, pathologies that are potentially dangerous to health and life. They need to be treated at the first manifestations. Watery diarrhea (when you defecate almost water), or hard feces indicates that you need to see a doctor, pass and undergo a full examination.

Medical practice shows that diarrhea, bitterness in the mouth, discoloration of stools or other characteristic symptoms can be caused by a number of diseases:

Crohn's disease. It is characterized by damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Conventional coal sorbent for treatment. won't be enough. Rarely, surgery is required.
Poisoning. Ordinary food poisoning is also not a pleasant phenomenon. The stomach hurts, the temperature rises and not only diarrhea, but also vomiting is observed. It is recommended to wash the stomach, eat for a while, follow a diet and not load the gastrointestinal tract with heavy food.
Infectious lesions of the intestine. Usually, in addition to temperature and discomfort, color changes, impurities are observed.
Bleeding. We are talking about internal weak bleeding. They provoke the color of the bowel movements, but with heavy bleeding, the excrement will turn black.
Allergy to food. An adult may not suspect that he has an allergy to certain foods if he has not used them before. A similar phenomenon is accompanied by a change in the color of the stool, the presence of undigested particles of food and mucus in them.
Ulcer. A very unpleasant and serious disease. With an ulcer, a bitter taste in the mouth and a number of other unpleasant symptoms, including a change in the color of feces, often appear. An ulcer requires only professional treatment.
Rotavirus infection. It is not so difficult to determine it, since the disease is accompanied by green, fetid feces with mucus. The person feels bad, intoxication is observed. You need to see a doctor immediately.

To protect your own body, try to eat right, choose the optimal diet of foods that suits your body, and exclude the use of carbonated and alcoholic beverages.

If an uncharacteristic color of feces appears frequently, but food or medicines have nothing to do with it, consult a doctor immediately. Based on the results of the research, the doctor will make a diagnosis and tell you how to cope with the problem.

green stool during pregnancy

Pregnant women often face a situation where the bowel movements become greenish. One of the reasons is that doctors recommend that all expectant mothers take prenatal vitamin and mineral complexes up to 5-6 months of pregnancy. Green stool in the early stages is obtained if minerals, especially iron, enter the body in excess and are subsequently excreted in the feces. A similar color of feces can also be associated with dietary changes, when a woman, in an effort to eat right, begins to eat more green leafy vegetables, broccoli, asparagus and other similar foods. Their pigment also leads to a change in the shade of stool. Dark green stools may be due to iron supplementation given to women with low hemoglobin levels.

Pregnant women may also develop various intestinal disorders and gastrointestinal diseases that affect the shade of bowel movements. If during the movement of feces through the inflamed intestinal walls blood is released, then mixing with bile, it contributes to staining the stool black and green. The greenish hue of feces is also obtained due to accelerated transit in the large intestine, when bacteria do not have time to break down bilirubin. The same color is observed after antibiotic therapy.

In most cases, pregnant women do not need to worry about green stool if it does not affect their well-being. It is necessary to consult a gastroenterologist when the green stool observed in the later stages persists after childbirth.

Let's talk today about the causes of green feces in adults.

What can color feces

The green tint of feces can be the result of frequent and large amounts of cereal consumption. Even if you change the diet to other foods for several days, the feces will be green. This is explained by the presence in cultures of a reinforced protective shell, which causes the digestive tract to secrete more bile for processing. And as a result - the feces are stained in this color.

There are also foods that cause a green tint to bowel movements, for example, which have a lot of iron in their composition, as well as:

leaf crops;
caramel, marmalade and jelly with a high content of dyes;
red meats, sea fish and legumes (red).

All of the above, as a rule, passes without diarrhea and pain in the abdomen. 3-5 days after the last meal with the presence of the above products, the color of the feces will become normal.

Another cause of green stool in an adult, which does not indicate a serious illness, is diarrhea. This is due to the low speed of microorganisms in the intestines to act on feces with such a problem.

With impaired movement of digested food in the form of a coma through the large intestine, feces also acquire a green tint.

For information - before going out, the contents are in this section of the intestine for some time.

Now let's move on to more serious reasons for the appearance of green feces in an adult.

Causes of green stool in adults

The appearance of pathology in the body, including a change in the color of feces, will be accompanied by additional symptoms.

And depending on this, it will be possible to talk about the development of certain ailments:

Infections in the intestines lead to fever, nausea and vomiting, including pain in the abdomen.
With dysbacteriosis, the number of pathogenic bacteria increases, provoking decay and fermentation of food. As a result, there is bloating, cramps and a change in the color of feces.
An exacerbation of a stomach ulcer or oncology of the gastrointestinal tract leads, among other things, to a change in the color of feces to green. This is due to the incomplete process of iron oxidation.
Mass decomposition of red blood cells contributes to the development of liver pathologies - hepatitis. The diseased organ lacks hemoglobin, a derivative of bilirubin. As a result, the stool becomes green instead of brown.
Due to the intolerance of the body to any products, an allergic reaction appears, leading to inflammatory processes and digestive disorders. As a result, the feces become green.

Failure of the gallbladder and other internal organs can also provoke the appearance of feces of a different shade.

Important: the presence of mucus in the faeces, in addition to discoloration, gives reason to consult a specialist.

The green color can also be different - from a dark to a light shade, and this will also indicate various health problems.

Black and green.

Such stools indicate infectious ailments in the intestines. But if you are a vegetarian, then you can not worry - the reason for this color of feces is in the diet.

Green liquid stool.

This is an alarming and unpleasant phenomenon caused by poor-quality food or taking any medication. If this happened one-time and did not affect the general well-being, then the body will cope on its own.

With a repeated problem, and even lasting several days with the addition of fever and pain, you will need to see a doctor. After all, these can be symptoms of serious diseases - dysbacteriosis, enteritis, internal bleeding or blood ailments.

Light green cal.

Due to taking a course of antibacterial agents, feces of a light green hue appear. The addition of fever, nausea and vomiting will be the reason for contacting a medical facility, and urgently.

Feces without diarrhea and pain.

Asymptomatic staining of feces in green is a reason to simply analyze your diet.

Diseases that cause green stool

We list the main diseases that can cause a change in the shades of feces, summing up some of the above:

salmonellosis or Crohn's disease;
ulcerative colitis or gastroesophageal reflux disease;
diabetes mellitus in various forms or inflammation of the small intestine;
food poisoning or allergy to lactose and/or fructose.

A malfunctioning thyroid gland can also cause a similar problem. And for proper treatment, you will definitely need to visit a doctor for a diagnosis, which is not advisable to do on your own.

What to do when green stool appears

If you notice that your feces have changed color from brown to green, don't panic. The first thing to do is to remember the entire diet in the past 3 days.

If this is not the reason, then do the following:

Go to the pharmacy and buy probiotics of your choice, such as Bificola or Lactobacterin in any form. They contribute to the restoration of intestinal microflora, in particular, after taking antibacterial agents.
If you suspect food poisoning, then take activated charcoal in the proportion of 1 tablet / 10 kg of body weight.
With the appearance of nausea and vomiting, in addition to a change in the shade of feces, it is recommended to drink Regidron. Often this is enough to normalize digestion.

Doctors use certain methods to make a diagnosis and prescribe the passage of laboratory and hardware studies:

to identify the presence of microscopic particles in the feces allows the Coprogram, which studies the chemical composition;
general analysis of blood and urine. If the presence of worms is suspected, a microscopic examination is done;
tank culture reveals the causative agent of the infection, determines the state of the intestinal microflora and the presence of bacteria;
Ultrasound of internal organs and ECG;
colonoscopy and gastroscopy;
MRI or CT scan of the abdomen.

Depending on the doctor's suspicions, this list may be smaller or larger, and it is not worth refusing appointments, no matter how unpleasant they are.

Treatment will depend on the diagnosis, and in most cases hospitalization is necessary. Salmonellosis gives reason to refer to the infectious diseases department, bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract and colitis - to surgery. In serious condition, patients are hospitalized in the intensive care unit for operational actions to restore health.

Pregnancy and green stool

The main reason for the appearance of green feces in women during pregnancy is nutrition. Indeed, during this period of life, ladies in a position try to eat a lot of greens - broccoli, spinach, parsley, dill and other foods rich in chlorophyll.

An additional intake of vitamin preparations also contributes to a change in the color of feces, which occurs due to iron not absorbed by the intestines. Food retention in the thick section is another reason for the green tint of stool in pregnant women.

The rapid transit of products through this organ leads to the staining of feces in an unusual color due to the fact that the bacteria in the organ do not have time to process all the bilirubin after food has been processed with bile.

It is not uncommon for feces to turn green after taking antibiotics. For recovery, you need to stop drinking them or reduce the dose.

There are ailments in pregnant women that cause a similar problem:

Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
Dysbacteriosis or dysentery, in which weakness, vomiting, pain in the abdomen and fever will torment.
Diseases of the blood and liver.

All these pathologies with additional symptoms will require immediate medical attention.

Light shade of feces.

Light green stools during pregnancy can "talk" about the presence of infectious diseases - hepatitis, pancreatitis and others. Still such feces indicate the presence of stones and neoplasms.

Impurities of blood in feces.

Blood in the feces is observed with internal bleeding, localized near the anus. And there are several reasons - hemorrhoids, anal fissures or malignant tumors in the rectum.

Stool with mucus.

Mucus in the feces appears with a sedentary lifestyle, as well as with acute inflammatory processes in the form of colitis, enteritis, proctitis and other diseases.

Always carefully monitor your well-being and changes in the body. After all, any unusual symptoms may indicate serious pathologies that require immediate medical attention.

But basically, if you do not take into account possible diseases, with a changed color of the stool, there is no reason for concern and there is no need to visit a doctor. An appeal to a gastroenterologist will be required if the problem persists after childbirth.

If you realize that stool staining was not due to diet, but for other reasons that are not clear to you, plus there are other unpleasant symptoms, then do not postpone a visit to a medical facility. This will protect against serious consequences and speed up recovery. Health to you and your loved ones!

What causes green feces in an adult

Green stool in an adult can be a sign of malnutrition, infectious diseases, or taking a number of drugs.

The main factors that provoke a change in the color of feces

The norm is considered to be bowel movements once every 1-2 days, while the color of feces should have a brown tint. What can be a slight deviation from accepted standards?

There are a number of physiological and pathological factors:

Eating food that affects various processes in the body or has a large amount of coloring substances in its composition.

An imbalance in the bacterial environment of the body, an infectious disease, poisoning, allergic reactions, the development of pathologies of internal organs, in particular those related to the digestive tract.
Taking certain medications.

Changes you shouldn't worry about

Fans of sweets, such as marmalade, jelly, and other foods high in dyes, may occasionally notice greenish stools.

In addition, other products also affect the color of feces:

When eating large amounts of meat, stools may have a dark brown tint.
If the diet is dominated by vegetable components or dairy products, then the feces lighten up, acquiring a yellow tint.
Black-brown color is typical for blackcurrant and blueberry lovers.
Burgundy feces are obtained after eating raspberries and beetroot.
A dark green tint occurs if a person eats sorrel or spinach salad. The same reaction of the body occurs and the use of cereals. Long-term preservation of green feces is possible in people who follow a plant-based diet.
Legumes and red meats are high in iron, which turns black-green in stool.

Change in stool color when taking medication

Feces can turn green when consumed:

Iodine preparations.
Laxatives, in particular herbal medicines.
Sorbitol.
Glucose.
Chlorophyll.
Vitamin complexes.
iron-containing drugs.
Medicines based on seaweed.

Antibiotics with prolonged use disrupt the intestinal microflora, causing dysbacteriosis, which entails a change in the normal color of feces to green.

A consequence of the development of a pathological environment

Feces in an adult can acquire a peculiar shade with the appearance of gastrointestinal diseases.

Most often diagnosed:

Dysbacteriosis. Due to the imbalance of intestinal microorganisms, the process of digestion of food is disrupted, food residues rot, which may be accompanied by a violation of the frequency and color of the stool.
Dysentery. The condition is characterized by acute pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The patient develops weakness, the temperature rises sharply.
Salmonellosis. Entering the body, an intestinal infection causes a sharp rise in temperature, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

With infectious lesions of the intestine, a bright green hue of the stool, a rise in temperature, weakness and an admixture of mucus in the stools are observed. In case of poisoning, these symptoms are accompanied by vomiting and severe abdominal pain.

This is due to the lack of an enzyme that breaks down the corresponding protein. Unprocessed fluid quickly leaves the body, and the feces do not have time to turn brown.

In babies under 6 months, green stools may indicate an increase in bilirubin. At this age, the condition can normalize on its own.

What color of feces indicates a disease of the internal organs?

Many do not know what diseases change the shade of feces. It should be noted that these are mainly pathologies of the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, stomach and intestines.

Green feces may be the result of inflammation of the intestine or the development of a tumor of this organ, intoxication of the body, celiac disease.
Red-brown indicates the presence of minor internal bleeding in the lower digestive tract. Observations show that this means damage to the intestinal walls. When the feces move through the intestine, the mucous membranes are injured, blood is released through small cracks and enters the feces.
Black may indicate bleeding in organs located in the upper parts of the digestive system.
Yellow-green indicates carbohydrate fermentation. This condition occurs with diseases of the pancreas, for example, diabetes mellitus.
Gray-green or white indicates the absence of bile in the intestine. Pathology occurs with liver disease and when the gallbladder has stones or a tumor that clogs the excretory ducts.

Symptoms associated with green stools

Abdominal pain. Usually its localization indicates the location of the diseased organ.
Nausea and vomiting.
Diarrhea.
Bad smell of stool.
The presence of mucus or blood in the stool.
Elevated temperature.
General deterioration of health: headache, dizziness, weakness, fatigue.

green stool in pregnant women

Expectant mothers try to monitor their diet, so they consume a large amount of plant foods. Spinach and broccoli contain chlorophyll, which can cause faecal discoloration.

Dysbacteriosis is a frequent companion of pregnant women. In this case, diarrhea begins, stools are green.

When making this diagnosis, the doctor prescribes Smecta or Imodium to remove toxins. It is recommended to include whole grain cereals, sour-milk products, green tea in the diet.

In order to prevent serious complications during the period of bearing a baby, for any violations or changes in the color and consistency of the stool, you should consult a doctor.

First aid at home

When changing the color of feces, nutrition should be reviewed, excluding sweets and food rich in chlorophyll and containing dyes from the menu.

With diarrhea, you must take Smecta or Regidron. This will normalize the water-electrolyte balance and avoid dehydration.

Atoxil is an excellent sorbent, which is used to remove toxins, especially when vomiting. But the drug should be taken after gastric lavage.

With severe dysbacteriosis, it is useful to drink probiotics. If no improvement is observed within a few days or the condition is accompanied by a rise in temperature, stools with blood inclusions, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, then you should consult a doctor.

Tests to determine the cause of a change in stool color

For a correct diagnosis when green feces appear, when they are not associated with food intake, a series of examinations should be performed:

Complete blood count with the determination of the leukocyte component.
Analysis of urine.
Blood test for biochemistry and electrolytes.
Analysis of feces for bacterial environment.
Abdominal ultrasound.

If indicated, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, CT or MRI of the abdominal cavity may be prescribed.

Green stool in an adult. Causes and treatment of pathology

The causes of green feces in an adult can be different. First you need to figure out why the feces are green, and whether something can be done at home. If the greenish tint of stool in a person is due to food, and there are no symptoms, you should not panic. If the green stool is provoked by a disease, only a specialist should look for the causes and prescribe treatment.

Causes of discoloration of feces

When the feces turn green, many begin to worry. This is not worth doing, since green feces in an adult are often due to simple natural causes. The most common of these is food.

But also greenish feces appear due to diseases - with salmonellosis, gastritis, dysbacteriosis, after poisoning.

All the reasons due to which the feces become green can be divided into two categories: physiological, pathological.

What to do in such a situation?

Consider separately the physiological and pathological causes.

Physiological factors

An unusual color of feces often appears for reasons that are safe for human health. For example, the color of feces in an adult changes under the influence of several basic physiological factors:

Food. The chair in an adult most often changes its color due to the diet. Low water intake, together with a large amount of iron-containing foods, stains stools. Most of all, red meat, greens, red beans, juices or purees based on green vegetables, and sea fish affect stool masses. When fasting, a person presses on greens in an attempt to lose weight. Hence the corresponding symptoms - the green color of the feces. It is better for you to abandon the dill diet, and switch to a more balanced diet. When you change the diet, you will again return the feces of a light brown healthy color.
Dyes. The reason for the feces of a dark green color may be the use of products that contain a lot of dyes. These are soda, sweets, chewing gum and other, far from the most useful food for the body. In alcoholic beverages, in addition to the alcohol component, dyes are present. Feces after alcohol with dyes are also stained, but after a while, this disappears.
Pharmaceuticals and additives. Defecation may be accompanied by color changes if a person takes pills, vitamins, various supplements. The dark green color of the excrement is often due to the intake of drugs such as glucose, iodine-containing products, Sorbitol, vitamin complexes, herbal laxatives, algae-based drugs or supplements, etc.

Thus, swamp-colored feces in an adult should not always cause serious concern.

But when solid particles are present in the stool, diarrhea, diarrhea, and bitterness in the mouth are observed, be sure to consult a specialist.

Only he will accurately diagnose, determine the causes. Physiological factors are not as dangerous as pathological ones.

Pathological factors

Medical practice shows that diarrhea, bitterness in the mouth, discoloration of stools or other characteristic symptoms can be caused by a number of diseases:

Crohn's disease. It is characterized by damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Conventional coal sorbent for treatment. won't be enough. Rarely, surgery is required.
Poisoning. Ordinary food poisoning is also not a pleasant phenomenon. The stomach hurts, the temperature rises and not only diarrhea, but also vomiting is observed. It is recommended to wash the stomach, eat for a while, follow a diet and not load the gastrointestinal tract with heavy food.
Infectious lesions of the intestine. Usually, in addition to temperature and discomfort, color changes, there are impurities of mucus in the feces.
Bleeding. We are talking about internal weak bleeding. They provoke the color of the bowel movements, but with heavy bleeding, the excrement will turn black.
Allergy to food. An adult may not suspect that he has an allergy to certain foods if he has not used them before. A similar phenomenon is accompanied by a change in the color of the stool, the presence of undigested particles of food and mucus in them.
Ulcer. A very unpleasant and serious disease. With an ulcer, a bitter taste in the mouth and a number of other unpleasant symptoms, including a change in the color of feces, often appear. An ulcer requires only professional treatment.
Rotavirus infection. It is not so difficult to determine it, since the disease is accompanied by green, fetid feces with mucus. The person feels bad, intoxication is observed. You need to see a doctor immediately.

To protect your own body, try to eat right, choose the optimal diet of foods that suits your body, and exclude the use of carbonated and alcoholic beverages.

green stool during pregnancy

Green stool in an adult

Feces are the final product of digestion. It is formed as a result of complex biochemical reactions throughout all parts of the digestive system and is excreted outside the body during defecation. The main characteristics of feces are: volume, shape, texture, smell and color. Normally, the parameters can change quite a lot under the influence of some factors. But all these fluctuations are temporary in nature and independently return to normal after their exclusion. But some changes in the characteristics of feces may indicate a serious pathology of the internal organs.

What properties of feces correspond to the norm

To give an adequate assessment of the nature of the chair, it must be described according to the following criteria.

The frequency of acts of defecation. The frequency of bowel movements is considered normal from 2 times a day to two to three times a week. In this case, a prerequisite is the absence of pain and discomfort, as well as the rapid flow of the process. Otherwise, a bowel movement once every few days is considered constipation, and more than three times a day is considered diarrhea.

Number of bowel movements. Normal is the volume of feces in an adult in the range of one hundred to two hundred and fifty grams per day. A decrease in the amount of feces occurs with constipation, saturation of the diet with easily digestible food, and a decrease in the amount of food consumed. An upward deviation from the norm may be present with a large intake of plant fibers, dysfunction of the small intestine, insufficient secretion of the pancreas, insufficient release of bile into the upper intestine.

The shape of the stool. According to the Bristol scale, it is customary to attribute the shape of feces to one of seven types, where two options are classified as normal: sausage-shaped and sausage-shaped, containing cracks. The rest regard it as constipation and a tendency to it, or as diarrhea, a tendency to it and severe diarrhea.

The consistency of stool masses should normally be soft, cylindrically shaped. But with various pathological processes, the consistency of feces can change in this way.

The dense structure of feces, consisting of separate lumps, (sheep) is provoked by:

disruption of the intestinal microflora
the presence of staphylococcus aureus
irritation of the intestinal wall in the colon
exacerbation of peptic ulcer
inflammation in the intestines
violation of the blood supply to the intestinal wall
insufficient intestinal motility
stress, severe nervous disorders
low fluid intake
insufficient physical activity
surgical intervention

The presence of "sheep feces" in a patient for a long time can cause intoxication of the body, weakened immunity, provoke the appearance of cracks in the anus, hemorrhoids up to intestinal prolapse. A tendency to regular constipation should be consulted by a doctor without fail.

Mushy stools can appear due to infectious and inflammatory diseases in the intestines, stomach dysfunction and rotavirus infections. If it is accompanied by mucus discharge, then you can think about a bacterial infection, colds, accompanied by a severe runny nose, as well as the use of certain foods.

With pancreatitis, mushy stools acquire a gray tint, which may indicate the addition of fermentative dyspepsia, chronic enteritis, or colitis with diarrhea.

Diarrhea can also develop for other reasons, due to:

Dysbacteriosis
Infectious intestinal diseases
Various forms of tuberculosis
Thyroid dysfunction
Intestinal malabsorption
Improper nutrition
kidney disease
chronic stress
Avitominosis
Allergic conditions
Severe diseases of the digestive system
Malignant neoplasms of the last sections of the intestine.

Ointment-like feces are distinguished by a fatty structure and occur with inflammatory diseases of the pancreas, the presence of calculi in the gallbladder, cholecystitis, hepatitis of any genesis, colitis, accompanied by malabsorption.

Clay feces most often have a grayish tint. This is due to the high content of undigested fat, which happens with a poor outflow of bile from the hepatic ducts and the gallbladder itself. It is observed in hepatitis, obstruction of the biliary tract.

Liquid stool can have different shades and appearance.

With an intestinal infection, the stools have a liquid watery consistency.

In infectious diseases, the stool has a green liquid appearance.

With gastric bleeding in the upper sections, the feces become black and have a liquid consistency.

In diseases of the upper intestines, the stool resembles a light slurry.

If the lower part of the small intestine is involved in the pathological process, then the feces, along with a liquid consistency, have a yellow color. It is watery and frothy and can be repeated up to eight times a day.

Typhoid fever is characterized by the presence of feces in the form of pea puree.

With cholera, the stool has a colorless appearance, akin to rice water.

If diarrhea in adults and elderly patients lasts longer than two weeks and is accompanied by the periodic appearance of an admixture of blood, then it makes sense to exclude tumors of the small intestine.

Loose stools of a long nature are observed after surgical interventions on the intestines, as well as in inflammatory diseases of this area of non-specific origin.

Foamy feces is a sign of the presence of fermentative dyspepsia and indicates that fermentation processes are taking place in the intestines.

Yeast-like stool occurs in the presence of a fungal infection. May have a characteristic yeasty odor and appear as a frothy or curdled mass with threads resembling melted cheese fibers.

The color of feces in the normal state ranges from light shades of brown to dark saturated. And it can vary depending on the pathological process present.

Light-colored stools, up to yellow-white and gray, may indicate:

Abuse of rice or potatoes
The use of barium sulfate for X-ray examination of the digestive tract
Use of medicines containing calcium or antacids.
Inflammatory diseases of the abdominal organs, cholelithiasis, severe liver diseases (cirrhosis, cancer).

Red stools can occur when:

The presence of dark bowel movements can be triggered by:

Taking activated charcoal
The use of drugs containing iron in their composition
The presence of blueberries and dishes from it in the daily diet
gastritis
Malignant processes in the upper and lower intestines
Ulcerative defect of the duodenum and stomach

The presence of black feces is a threatening sign and requires immediate medical attention.

The smell of feces is normally characterized as unpleasant, but not sharp.

The predominance of a pungent odor indicates the predominant content of meat food in the diet.

The presence of a rotten smell indicates inadequate digestion of food with the development of putrefactive processes.

Sour - accompanies lovers of dairy products and appears after drinking refreshments made by fermentation.

Fetid stool appears with exacerbation of cholecystitis, pancreatitis, increased secretion of the large intestine, active reproduction of the bacterial flora.

Feces with a putrid odor are found in dyspepsia, impaired digestion in the stomach cavity, colitis, and constipation.

If the stool smells of old oil, then this is a sign of bacterial decomposition of fatty foods in the intestines.

The presence of a slight faint smell in the feces indicates constipation and too rapid evacuation of the food bolus from the small intestine.

It is important to understand that a change in the color of calculi, as well as any other of its characteristics, can occur for physiological reasons - related to the individual characteristics of nutrition and the use of nutritional supplements or certain medications. In this case, the return to normal occurs on its own, without the connection of therapeutic methods after the exclusion of the provoking component.

In another case, the reason for the change in the main characteristics of feces are pathological causes - various diseases of the internal organs. In this case, external changes are the result of a pathological process, so the patient will not be able to solve this problem on his own. To understand the nature of the disorders and choose the optimal treatment, you need to contact a specialist.

Physiological causes of green stools in an adult

The most common reason for such a change in feces lies in the characteristics of the patient's diet. In most cases, green stools appear when the diet is rich in iron-rich foods. These include:

Red meats
Green leafy crops, including lettuce, broccoli, spinach and their juices
black licorice
Fish of marine origin
Red bean variety
Greenish stools may appear after eating foods that include food coloring from light green to black-green. It can be: colored caramel, marmalade, carbonated drinks, chewing gum.

The color of feces can change when taking certain biological supplements or medications, turning into gray, greenish, and sometimes black-green. This can be provoked by:

Substances that contain a high concentration of iodine
Herbal laxatives
Chlorophyll
Glucose
Sorbitol
Vitamin and mineral complexes
Seaweed supplements

When green feces appear in an adult for pathological reasons

The presence of green stool in adult patients may be due to the presence of a dangerous pathology, when self-diagnosis and treatment are unacceptable. These states include:

Food poisoning.
Crohn's disease.
Intestinal diseases of an infectious nature (enterocolitis). At the same time, the stool not only changes its color, but also a large number of mucous inclusions are determined in its composition.
Internal bleeding of low and medium intensity. With heavy bleeding from the digestive tract, the stools become black.
Increased secretion of the thyroid gland.
Allergy to food. It is characterized not only by a change in the color of the feces, but also by the presence of mucus and poorly digested food particles in them.
Ulcerative defect of the gastric wall.
Rotavirus infection. It is characterized by a green, fetid stool with a high content of mucus against the background of signs of severe intoxication. More typical for children and infants.

All these conditions are life-threatening for the patient, so it is strongly not recommended to treat them on your own. Only a specialist with the help of additional laboratory methods can determine the cause of the appearance of green stool in a patient and prescribe adequate therapy.

Quite often there is a change in the color of feces. Most people have a question: why is the feces green. There are more than enough reasons for the appearance of this pathology.

All of them indicate a violation in the digestive system. When the first signs of the disease appear, the patient must undergo an examination and, if necessary, a course of treatment.

Green feces appear with infectious diseases in the body.

- This is a fairly common problem. If the work of the digestive system is normal, then the stool is brown.

The appearance of a green color is due to the presence of bile pigments in the feces. In infants, the most common pathology is diagnosed with dysbacteriosis.

The causes of the disease are often infectious or inflammatory processes in the human body. This is due to the presence of dead leukocytes in the body, the excretion of which is carried out naturally.

With dysbacteriosis, green stools are observed as a result of the process of fermentation and decay. Quite often, the pathological process is observed with gastric bleeding. Feces can turn this color if the patient also has gastritis. Pathology can be diagnosed in adult patients and infants against the background of:

food poisoning;
Giardia;
celiac disease;
Salmonellosis;
Rotavirus infection.

If the human body does not tolerate fructose or lactose, then this can lead to green stool staining. With specific ulcerative colitis or malabsorption syndrome, the appearance of a pathological process can also be observed. The cause of the pathology in adult patients may be GERD.

If a patient has an inflammatory process in the small intestine or thyrotoxicosis, then this leads to illness. The likelihood of developing a disease with significantly increases. This is due to the fact that innervation appears in the intestine. If the ileum was removed using a surgical path, then this can cause pathology.

If the process of absorption of bile acids in the small intestine is disturbed, then this is often the cause of the disease. There are a lot of reasons for the appearance of green stools in adult patients and children.

That is why patients need to be as attentive as possible to their health.

Symptoms of the disease

Inflammation of the intestines can cause green stools to appear.

Green stool is characterized by the presence of a pronounced symptom - its color. It should definitely cause anxiety in a person.

In some cases, additional symptoms of pathology may be observed. If green feces are accompanied by dysbacteriosis, then it is characterized by the presence of a putrefactive odor. In acute, green feces include mucus and pus.

Staining of feces in green is due to the presence of dying leukocytes in the human body. At the same time, patients complain about the appearance. Quite often, the pathological condition is accompanied by severe pain and diarrhea.

With intestinal infections, patients often complain of weakness. Also, the pathological process may be accompanied by an increase in body temperature. Some patients experience diarrhea and vomiting when green stool appears. When a pathology appears, the patient must be provided with urgent medical care, as it can lead to dehydration and death of the patient.

Symptoms of green feces in patients are quite diverse. That is why they are advised, when the first signs appear, to seek help from a doctor who can correctly establish the cause of the pathological condition and prescribe a comprehensive treatment.

First aid for pathology

Lactobacterin will help to cope with the disease.

If the patient's diarrhea attacks are pronounced and his condition deteriorates sharply. Then he must be given first aid without fail.

For this purpose, certain drugs are used. The most effective in this case are probiotics. Doctors recommend that patients take either Bificol.

The release of medicines is carried out in various forms - powders, tablets, rectal suppositories, capsules. With the help of these traditional medicines, the intestinal microflora is restored.

If the patient assumes that green feces arose against the background of food poisoning. To neutralize it, activated carbon is widely used, with the help of which the pathogenic microflora is neutralized. One tablet of activated charcoal is recommended for 10 kilograms of human weight.

If a patient with green feces observe nausea and vomiting. He needs application. Sometimes, when a pathological condition appears, the patient will only need to change the diet.

To avoid green stools in newborns, women are also advised to follow a diet. During this period, it is strictly forbidden to eat sweets, especially chocolate.

Doctors do not recommend that women eat citrus fruits. The introduction of other vegetables and fruits into a woman's diet should be gradual. One fruit or vegetable is allowed to eat no more than once a week.

Thanks to this strategy, allergic reactions in a child to certain are identified. Do not be afraid that an allergic reaction in a baby can remain for life. After a few months, you can again try to eat the product to which the baby was allergic.

First aid for green diarrhea is quite important. This is due to the fact that if it is not timely, serious side effects in the form of dehydration of the body can be observed.

Health care

Smecta is a drug for the treatment of green stools.

If a green color of blood and a persistent putrefactive odor are found in the feces, the patient must without fail seek help from a doctor.

In this case, the doctor prescribes diagnostics in the form of a coprogram. With its help, an assessment of the chemical, physical and microscopic parameters and properties of feces is given.

With the help of this analysis, it is determined why the feces have become green. Also, patients are prescribed an ultrasound examination of the digestive system.

To obtain confirmation of dysbacteriosis, patients are recommended to pass. In accordance with the results obtained, the gastroenterologist prescribes treatment. If the patient has acute inflammation of the intestines, then he needs to completely refuse food on the first day of treatment.

The patient's body must be constantly saturated with fluid. For this purpose, the use of Humana-electrolyte, Regidron, is carried out. After a few days, a sparing diet is introduced. if the disease is acute, then the patient is administered saline by intravenous infusion.

With an intestinal infection, the patient must be provided with acute medical care. This is due to the rather rapid dehydration of the patient's body. In order to fully maintain the water balance, the patient must intravenously inject saline and glucose. Treatment of the infectious process should be carried out by medication.

From the patient's diet, food is excluded that can stain the feces green. If the patient has diseases that have a chronic course, then this must be told to the doctor.

Depending on the degree of hardness of the feces, patients may be prescribed laxatives or fixative drugs - activated charcoal,. Quite often, antibiotic therapy is used to treat a pathological condition.

If the patient has internal bleeding, then he needs to provide urgent medical care. Otherwise, not only negative consequences can be observed, but also a fatal outcome.

Green stool is a kind of signaling about the development of pathological processes in the human body. If the pathology does not go away within a few days, then the patient needs to seek help from a doctor who can prescribe a rational treatment. Only after the cause is eliminated, the pathological process will not develop.

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Green color of feces in children and adults: causes ...

Green stool has various causes. They can be both completely physiological and pathological. A change in the color of excrement is most often observed in newborn children, but such a change is not excluded in adults. In no case should this symptom be ignored, since green feces with an admixture of mucus can serve as a sure sign that a malfunction has occurred in the functioning of the digestive system. And it is precisely this that should first of all be identified and eliminated by prescribing the correct course of treatment.

Physiological causes

Usually the reason for the discoloration of feces in adults lies in the diet. Dark green stool is usually observed if an adult begins to consume a lot of foods that contain iron. These include the following:

red meat;
broccoli, dill, spinach and other green leafy crops;
sea fish;
black licorice;
Red beans;
juices and purees made from green vegetables.

Green feces often appear in those people who consumed a lot of foods with bright dyes the day before, in particular, with green. These include:

caramel sweets;
marmalade;
carbonated drinks;
various chewing gum and more.

Dark green stools can also be caused by an adult taking certain pharmaceuticals and supplements. Usually, a change in the color of excrement is observed when taking such drugs:

drugs that contain high doses of iodine;
laxatives of plant origin;
sorbitol;
chlorophyll;
glucose;
Dietary supplement with high concentration of glucose;
mineral and vitamin complexes;
preparations, the main active ingredient of which is seaweed.

Pathological causes

It is important to remember that not only dietary habits can affect the color change of excrement. Often, green feces are a sign of the progression of dangerous pathologies in both an adult and a baby. Therefore, in the event of its repeated isolation, mucus impurities in it, as well as the manifestation of a pronounced clinical picture (vomiting, abdominal pain, etc.), you should immediately contact for the diagnosis and treatment of the underlying pathology. Only a qualified specialist can say why dark green feces appear. Self-diagnosis in this case is invalid. Especially if a child has green feces.

Pathological causes:

green stool in children

Green feces most often appear in children, in particular in newborns. In the case of newborns, green feces are evidence of the immaturity of the digestive system, especially the liver.

A change in the color of feces in infants can also occur due to a change in nutrition. This is especially often observed when a mother transfers a newborn child to artificial feeding. The composition of milk formulas for newborns is stable, but the set of trace elements may vary. In particular, in certain mixtures, an increased iron content can be noted. The use of such food can cause a change in the color of feces in a newborn child.

Very often, a change in the color of excrement in infants is observed during the period when the first teeth begin to erupt. Naturally, the child begins to gnaw on everything, and usually such things are not sterile. As a result, many bacteria enter the body of the baby, the pathogenic activity of which can lead not only to a change in the color of feces, but also to the progression of various diseases. In this case, the clinical picture will be supplemented by hyperthermia, vomiting, pain in the abdomen. There will be mucus or even streaks of blood in the excrement.

Often the cause of a change in the color of feces in a baby is the wrong diet of his mother. This means that toxins from foods that the mother may have consumed end up in the milk that the baby will then eat. As a result, these substances will penetrate into his body.

Therapeutic measures

First of all, it is necessary to clarify why green feces appeared. The diagnosis is usually made by a gastroenterologist. If the reason lies in the diet, then the treatment is quite simple - normalizing your diet and excluding raisins, gooseberries, cucumbers, kiwi, drinks with dyes from it. The following drugs may also be prescribed:

Smecta;
Regidron.

If all of the above measures did not bring the proper result, then this means that a person is progressing any disease. The main method of therapy in this case is medication. The patient may be prescribed the following drugs:

antibacterial;
antispasmodics;
anti-inflammatory;
probiotics;
vitamin complexes.