The color of the fecal matter is normal. Mucus feces - causes. What causes the color of feces to change

Talking about everything to do with the gut can confuse anyone. But everyone goes to the toilet.

What is normal feces?

As he says Sophie Balzora, MD, gastroenterologist at New York University Medical Center,

The frequency, texture and smell of a person's bowel movements are normal for him, provided that he does not complain of discomfort.

Going to the toilet every day is not considered a necessary indicator of good health, says Dr. Balzora.

For some, three times a day is the norm, others go to the toilet three to four times a week. All this is normal, in the absence of any problems with digestion, of course.

Diet plays a very large role not only in frequency, but also in texture, size, shape and smell. In addition to diet, gut health is affected lifestyle, sleep, water intake, hormonal fluctuations, menopause, and some medications.

Physicians use to classify defecation Bristol scale. In the table, we have indicated seven categories or types of feces.

• 1 and 2 indicate ,
• 3 and 4 are the most "healthy" types of feces,
• 5, 6 and 7 are considered diarrhea.

As a rule, most healthy people have types 3 or 4. Soft formed stools, without effort during bowel movements, is considered the norm.

Doctors say that if you have too hard stools or loose pieces of stool, this may be a sign of constipation.

This is because the colon tries to remove water from the stool as it passes through the intestines. Decreased mobility, due to problems with the muscles lining the intestines or a low-fiber diet, holds up stools, making bowel movements more difficult.

A fiber-rich diet helps improve bowel function because fiber is like a sponge to retain moisture.

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends nine servings a day of high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables and legumes to ensure the smooth functioning of the intestines. Using additional sources of fiber such as psyllium, also contributes to the formation of soft stools that do not cause discomfort during bowel movements.

It may also play a role in constipation. The intestines need moisture, which softens the stool, improving its patency.

Carefully! Hypersensitivity to certain foods, bacterial or yeast growth in the small intestine, and excessive consumption of red meat or alcohol can also be factors in constipation.

In people with loose stools, at least 75% of the time, chronic diarrhea is found. The consistency may be too soft with loose edges or completely watery. As with constipation, fiber plays an important role here as well.

Carefully! Potential causes of chronic diarrhea include an overgrowth of bacteria and yeast in the colon, food sensitivities, excess intake of fat or fatty foods, an inability to absorb certain nutrients, and chronic stress or anxiety.

What does the color of stool mean?

Massarat Zutshi, Cleveland Clinic colorectal surgeon, says that the color of your stool is usually related to the color of the foods you have recently eaten.

Leafy greens, red fruits and vegetables, artificial food coloring, and some medications and supplements can change the color of stool.

In some cases, color changes may indicate something more serious. That's what the color of feces can say.

Almost black

If you are not taking any coating, antacid, or absorbent drugs (which often turn black stools), too dark stools may indicate bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. The feces can also be stained as a result stomach ulcers or high levels of iron in the body.

White

Some medicines such as Kaopectat, can sometimes cause pale and clayey stools. White stools can also be caused by problems getting bile into your gastrointestinal tract, or if your liver isn't producing enough bile. When the bile duct is blocked due to a stone or tumor and bile cannot reach the intestines, the stool also becomes white. This is common in liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Red

Let's assume your Don't Panic! First, think about what you ate the day before. Dark Red Beetroot Salad (thanks to betacyanin) can stain both your urine and your stool for up to two days after consumption. In addition to beets, the culprits can be tomatoes, food coloring or even cranberries. If you are sure that the red tint is not related to food, feces can stain the blood from the intestines. In this case, you must immediately consult a doctor. Bright red blood in the stool may indicate polyp, inflammation, diverticulitis, or even colon cancer.

Yellow

Yellow stools may indicate problems with fat digestion. This may be the result of gallbladder removal, weight loss medication, or certain surgeries. Yellow, oily stools may indicate chronic pancreatitis or celiac disease.

Green

If your stool is slightly green, remember if you have eaten greens in the last 24 hours, because this may be the cause. If your stool is constantly green and it's not related to food, see your doctor.

Regardless of color, stools are usually foul-smelling due to bacteria in the colon that digest food. If the usual smell of your stool changes to an abnormal one, it could be due to an infection. Another cause may be inflammation of the colon or diseases that cause malabsorption such as celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or lactose intolerance.

Abnormal esophageal motility may also indicate certain health conditions

Some digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, can show up in your stool when certain problems occur along with other symptoms. For example, bouts of diarrhea or constipation (or alternation between the two), as well as abdominal pain and excess gas, are the primary signs of IBS, a common disorder of the colon.

A chronic illness characterized by inflammation of the intestines includes chronic diarrhea as well as weight loss, fever, and lower abdominal pain. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease similar to Crohn's disease that begins in the rectum and spreads to other parts of the colon. Chronic diarrhea, sometimes with blood, is a key indicator of ulcerative colitis.

What else can feces reveal about gut health?

Stool color, stool regularity, and bowel motility are not the only characteristics that can tell you what's going on in your body. The general analysis of feces consists of macroscopic, chemical and microscopic studies.

Feces are an indicator of the normal functioning of the digestive and excretory systems. In scientific language, it is often called the result of defecation or emptying the rectum. Viscous, homogeneous yellow feces in a child and in an adult is an indicator of a healthy state of the gastrointestinal tract. But if for some reason discoloration of the feces occurs or the stool acquires an unusual color, you should worry about your health. Perhaps, in the body there are inflammatory processes. Very light stools can also indicate the initial stage of a serious illness.

Any person can take a fecal analysis to the laboratory. But deciphering the meaning of analysis is not an easy task. But any experienced doctor can help with this. Let's see what the patient's stool norm looks like through the eyes of a specialist:

1. Quantity per day. In an adult - 100-250 grams, in young children - from 30-50 grams.
2. Consistency. In adults - formed discharge, in children - viscous, mushy.
3. Weight, content. It must be free of impurities, spotting, mucus.
4. Smell. Fecal, not harsh. In children - a sour smell, in infants on artificial feeding - putrefactive.
5. Color - brown in adults, in babies not too light yellow or yellow feces are allowed. Discolored feces indicate problems with the body.
6. The enzyme responsible for coloring feces brown is stercobilin. It is formed on the basis of bilirubin, which is produced in the liver.
7. pH indicator. In children - 4.8. In adults - more than 7.
8. Ammonia. It appears only in older children and adults.
9. Neutral fat, fatty acids and muscle fibers are present only in the feces of babies.
10. Leukocytes are single.

If you change one of the parameters, you should consult a doctor. Perhaps the cause of discoloration of feces, a dark or other uncharacteristic shade, is food, medicines, an unhealthy lifestyle, or an illness:

1. Black. Indicates bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract, the use of berries - currants, blueberries, taking Bisal, Vikalin, Activated charcoal.
2. Red. It is observed with ulcerative foci and lesions of the duodenum, after eating beets, tomato juice.
3. Dark brown. Signs: constipation, colitis. Increased consumption of protein foods.

Consider some more features of the color change of the defecation product. And why is the feces of some people light, while others are dark.

Yellow stool in an adult

What becomes the main cause of a change in the color of the discharge in a person and what should I pay attention to if light feces appear periodically? There are several shades to remember.

What happens in the body and why an unusual white stool appears. In case of symptoms such as weakness, nausea, bloating, light stools and dark urine, an accurate diagnosis of the state of health is needed. These signs indicate serious, often chronic and dangerous diseases:

• jaundice. Bilirubin, which is produced by the liver, enters the bloodstream and stains the skin, giving the surface of the epidermis a yellowish tint. And in fecal secretions there is a lack of this enzyme, the stool is light;
• pancreatitis. Severe inflammation of the pancreas, in which enzymes and toxins enter the bloodstream and affect the organs;
• cholecystitis. Violation of the outflow of bile and the formation of gallstone disease;
• oncological neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract.

If there are no symptoms of the disease and signs of an inflammatory process, then light feces in an adult have the usual household causes:

• taking medications;
• fatty protein food;
• wrong diet;
• hormonal contraceptives.

Here you need to carefully monitor the diet, its balance. Do not take medication on your own without a doctor's prescription. If white stools appeared, but returned to normal after a few days, it's time to stop taking the pills and think about a healthy diet.

baby white stool

For babies during natural breastfeeding, as well as mixed feeding, a white discolored type of anal discharge and signs of too light feces is the norm in the absence of significant symptoms of a disease state. The reasons:

1. Teething.
2. Breast milk.
3. Feeding with artificial mixtures.
4. Lots of sweets in your diet.

In young children, the color of bowel movements may vary depending on the food: red - from beets, orange - from carrots. If a nursing mother ate a lot of meat, the color of bowel movements may also change.

Greenish stool

Why can light green stools appear? What is the reason for this and should we be afraid of such symptoms? If we talk about babies, then such a swampy shade of discharge is the norm. And there is nothing wrong with that. Olive-colored bowel movements in an adult are signs of:

1. Dysentery. Infection that occurs against the background of intestinal damage by bacteria. Signs: rumbling in the abdomen, migraines, stools with blood, mucus and pus.
2. Dysbacteriosis. Violation of the natural intestinal microflora. It is characterized by bloating, diarrhea.
3. Internal bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, ulcerative foci.
4. Salmonellosis. A disease caused by the bacterium salmonella. Symptoms: nausea, loose stools, fever, rash.
5. Diabetes. Metabolic disorders, damage to blood vessels, tissues.
6. Food poisoning.
7. Problems in the thyroid gland.
8. Uncontrolled intake of antibiotics.

These disorders can provoke such concomitant symptoms as fever, weakness, sharp sharp pains in the stomach, and a decrease in hemoglobin. Often there is arrhythmia, pale skin color, rapid breathing.

Tests to determine the causes of fecal color changes

To identify disorders in the digestive system and organs of the gastrointestinal tract, the following types of tests are prescribed, which are also associated with a complete study of feces:

• • blood chemistry. Search for non-compliance with the norm of the number of leukocytes and hemoglobin;
  • coagulogram. The study of the rate of blood clotting;
  • coprogram. Examination for occult blood, mucus and pus in emptying;
  • worm analysis. Methods are applied: ELISA method, CPR;
  • colonoscopy. Examination of the colon with the subsequent possibility of further biopsy, sampling of cellular material;
  • CT, MRI, ultrasound examination. Visual study of internal lesions of organs that cause discoloration of feces.

The results obtained will help the doctor to make the correct diagnosis and find the causes of light stool in humans. Treatment must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. Medications and rehabilitation therapy are required.

From the stomach, food masses enter the duodenum, where they are mixed with bile produced by the liver and digestive enzymes of the pancreas. In the process of digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, a suspension is formed, which moves through the small intestine. In the small intestine, the absorption of nutrients into the blood occurs, and the remaining liquid wastes enter the large intestine. In the large intestine, the remnants of water are absorbed and feces are formed, which are excreted into the environment through the distal part of the digestive tract - the rectum.

Normal stool consists of water, animal food residues, undigested plant fibers, bacteria (up to 1/3 of the dry mass of feces), bile, dead cells of the mucous membrane lining the digestive tract. The composition, consistency, quantity and color of feces depend on many factors and are one of the indicators of the health of the body in general and the gastrointestinal tract in particular.

normal stool color

Usually the stool is brown in color and significant changes in color can be a health concern. The color of feces is determined by the presence of bilirubin (a breakdown product of hemoglobin) and other bile pigments. Changes in the amount of bilirubin in the bile can change the color of the stool from light yellow to dark brown.

In most cases, discoloration of feces is associated with dietary characteristics and is not a symptom of certain health problems. However, in some cases, for example, if the color of the stool has changed radically, and these changes persist for a long time, this can be an important diagnostic sign of dangerous diseases and serious life-threatening conditions.

When should a color change alert?

A cause for concern should be those cases when a change in the color of the stool is accompanied by other symptoms:

• Green and foul-smelling stools accompanied by diarrhea, abdominal pain, high fever, nausea, and vomiting are possible symptoms of some infectious diseases, such as salmonellosis.
• Discolored feces are accompanied by pain in the abdomen, back, yellowness of the sclera and skin, darkening of the urine - signs of problems with the liver and biliary tract.
• Staining feces black is accompanied by pain in the abdomen, weakness, pallor of the skin, increased heart rate, cold sweat - symptoms of bleeding in the stomach or duodenum.
• Red feces accompanied by pain in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting - may be signs of intestinal bleeding.

Green stool is a sign of what?

As already mentioned, the brown color of feces is due to the presence of bilirubin in it. Bilirubin enters the lumen of the duodenum with bile, the shade of which, depending on the concentration of this substance, can vary from greenish-yellow to dark brown. Passing through the intestines, the chemical composition of bile changes and it darkens. If the movement of feces through the intestinal lumen becomes too fast, then the bile retains its original color and the stool becomes green. This can be with diarrhea caused by food poisoning, salmonellosis, rotavirus infection, giardiasis, Crohn's disease, autoimmune and endocrine diseases.

Green stools can be caused by eating a lot of green vegetables.

Green feces in an adult may be due to intestinal dysbacteriosis. In this case, a detailed scatological examination for dysbiosis will help establish the diagnosis.

Green stools, accompanied by cutting pains in the abdomen, diarrhea, an admixture of mucus and pus in the stool are signs of acute infectious enterocolitis. Treatment in this case is prescribed by an infectious disease doctor based on the results of bacteriological examination of feces and the establishment of the sensitivity of pathogenic microflora to one or another group of antibacterial drugs. In addition to antibacterial treatment, enterocolitis requires replenishment of fluid losses, up to parenteral administration of electrolyte solutions.

Green feces can also have a completely normal explanation, not related to the disease, for example, after eating a large amount of green leafy vegetables (especially spinach), foods with appropriate food coloring, some dietary supplements. Sometimes a change in color is provoked by taking iron preparations, but most often the stool in this case does not turn green, but turns black.

Green feces in children can be caused by the same diseases as in adults. In newborns in the first days of life, green stools are a variant of the norm, called meconium.

What does the black stool mean?

Feces can become black in a perfectly healthy person in the following cases:

• When eating blueberries, prunes, pomegranates, black currants, bird cherry, red wine, red beets.
• After eating dishes and products based on blood or containing it, for example, meat with blood, black pudding, etc.
• While taking iron preparations for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia, bismuth preparations, multivitamins, activated charcoal.

In these cases, the help of doctors is not required, and the color of the stool returns to normal within a few days after changing the menu and stopping treatment.

Black feces - a symptom of dangerous bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract

The sudden and inexplicable appearance of black stools (melena) is one of the formidable symptoms of internal bleeding into the cavity of the stomach or duodenum. The black color is due to the interaction of blood hemoglobin with hydrochloric acid of gastric juice, resulting in the formation of black hemin. can be caused by peptic ulcer, tumor, trauma, bleeding disorders, varicose veins of the esophagus in liver diseases, infectious process and other reasons.

If the appearance of melena is accompanied by weakness, cold sweat, increased breathing and pulse, pale skin, then you should immediately call an ambulance, since massive blood loss poses a serious threat to life.

Feces can turn black when blood is swallowed during severe nosebleeds, after a tooth extraction, or after an oral injury.

Black feces during pregnancy can be the result of all of the above conditions, but most often it is caused by a woman taking multivitamins and preparations containing iron.

Red stool - is there a reason to worry?

Red stool appears when bleeding into the intestinal cavity

There is no reason to worry if the day before you ate beetroot dishes or consumed drinks and confectionery products colored with red food dyes.

Among pathological conditions, the most common cause of red stool is bleeding from hemorrhoids. More dangerous causes of bleeding into the intestinal cavity and redness of the feces are Crohn's disease, nonspecific, intestinal diverticulosis, malignant tumors, arteriovenous malformations.

Heavy bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract can also lead to red-colored stools. In this case, hemoglobin does not have time to react with hydrochloric acid, so the blood in the feces does not turn black, but remains red.

Is it dangerous when the stool is white?

White stool is one of the characteristic symptoms of diseases of the liver and biliary tract. The discoloration of the stool is due to the absence of bilirubin in it, which ceases to flow with bile as a result of impaired liver function or obstruction of the biliary tract. But it becomes very much in the blood, and this can be seen with the naked eye, since it stains the skin and eyes yellow - this condition is called jaundice. In addition, bilirubin begins to be intensively excreted by the kidneys, as a result, the urine becomes dark, as doctors say, the color of beer. Undoubtedly, this is a dangerous condition that requires immediate specialist intervention and proper treatment.

Yellow or white feces - a sign of diseases of the liver and pancreas

Light and loose stools with an unpleasant odor are a sign of a dysfunction of the pancreas. The lack or absence of a number of enzymes makes it impossible to digest fats, as a result of which the feces become light. Lightening of feces after ingestion of fatty foods may indicate chronic, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, compression of the biliary tract or blockage in cholelithiasis. The consequences of these diseases are very serious, so you should not delay visiting a doctor.

White feces can also appear normally, for example, with errors in nutrition, in particular, with the abuse of fatty foods: lard, butter, fatty sour cream, etc.

Another variant of the norm is discoloration of feces while taking certain medications: antibiotics, antifungal agents, gout medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, oral contraceptives. A few days after the end of the course of treatment with such means, the color of the feces returns to normal. To avoid unnecessary worries, before taking medications, you should carefully read the instructions for the drug, especially the section on side effects and overdose symptoms.

What if the stool turns yellow?

Yellow stools are one of the options for light stools, so the reasons for its appearance can be the same: biliary tract, pancreatic diseases, conditions accompanied by blockage or compression of the bile ducts, excessive consumption of fatty foods, treatment with certain drugs.

What to do if the color of the stool changes?

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For the "color range" of feces in humans, the pigment is responsible - stercobilin, which is formed in the sections of the large intestine during the processing of bilirubin formed during the processes of utilization of red blood cells.

It is the presence of stercobilin that determines the normal color of feces, giving them all sorts of shades of brown. But, it is impossible to immediately consider changes in the color of feces as a pathology. Since many different factors affect the color change - the nature of the diet, the use of certain pharmacological agents during treatment, or the presence of any impurities or dyes in food.

For example, a dairy diet gives feces a light brown or yellow color. A meat diet provokes the formation of a dark brown stool, and plant foods color the stool in the color of the product that prevails in the diet. Green feces, this is a lot of greens in the diet, beets or currants give red stools, orange color - vegetables and fruits rich in beta-keratin.

But, when the color of feces changes regardless of the diet, one should look for reasons in the internal state of the body. Because the reasons can be the most serious and varied.

Causes of red and orange feces

Beets greatly affect the color of feces

Red stool is an alarming sign, which may be accompanied by pathological processes that violate the structural integrity of the gastric and intestinal membranes. From what the nature of hemorrhagic manifestations in feces can be, it is possible to reliably establish a presumptive diagnosis. Whether it's anal varicose veins (hemorrhoids) or rectal fissures.

A reliable fact is that the red-brown color of feces is a sure sign of the so-called latent bleeding, which manifests itself in the process of gastric bleeding, or due to injury to the small intestine. Passing through these departments, blood plasma undergoes hemocoagulation and decomposition into iron and bile pigment (bilirubin). The sections of the small intestine absorb exclusively proteins present in erythrocyte cells, leaving a filtered ferrocyte mixture of dark color.

These manifestations can be observed with:

• the presence of chronic erosive gastritis;
• ulcerative lesions of the stomach, in which an orange color of the stool can also be noted;
• acute and chronic inflammation of the bulb of the duodenum 12 (erosive bulbitis);
• calculous cholecystitis;
• Crohn's disease.

All these pathologies to some extent affect the state of the mucous structures and can provoke internal gastrointestinal hemorrhages. But, a false positive test for the presence of occult blood can cause the intake of certain foods on the eve of the test - meat, apples, liver and other foods with a high concentration of iron.

With a large consumption of fruits and vegetables with a high content of keratin, orange stools may be noted. Some drugs also contribute to this, for example, Rifampicin, or various nutritional supplements, after stopping which the stool color returns to normal. In other states, this color of feces indicates the manifestation of various internal pathological processes:

• functional disorders in the structure of the liver, including the development of hepatitis;
• inflammation reactions in the structure of the bladder;
• lung and ulcer diseases;
• disorders in the urinary system.

Quite often, orange feces appear due to functional disorders in the digestive tract, gastritis and colitis, in the presence of cholelithiasis and hormonal disorders. Such coloring of feces is also characteristic for manifestations of escherichiosis, an infectious disease caused by pathogenic flora.

In addition to vomiting, rumbling and bloating, the main symptom of the disease is frequent, orange, watery, loose stools, accompanied by an increase in temperature and signs of dehydration.

What do red spots in feces mean?

Such symptoms are caused by a viral or bacterial effect on the vascular walls in the lumen of the large and small intestines. Violations in their integrity leads to the processes of disseminated intravascular coagulation, which is manifested by bloody streaks in the feces. Special attention should be paid to such a symptom if it manifests itself continuously for three days or more. It notes:

• drastic weight loss:
• pain in the lower abdomen and along the intestinal tract;
• apathy for food;
• bloody streaks without previous processes of obstipation (constipation) or diarrhea.

The presence of these signs may indicate polypous formations in the intestinal tissues, protrusions (diverticulum), cracks in its walls, or the development of malignant neoplasms in the colon.

Sometimes the color of feces can manifest itself not only in the form of individual inclusions, but also manifest itself as a liquid red stool due to massive inflammatory reactions in the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract caused by acute infectious diseases. At the same time, disturbances in the processes of metabolism and absorption of fluid cause disruptions in the water-salt balance of the body.

Often the presence of black-red feces in children is a consequence of the long-term influence of diarrhea, constipation, or intestinal dysbacteriosis.

Warning Signs: When Should You Be Wary?

When various blood impurities are found in the feces, additional signs are of great importance in establishing the diagnosis.

• The nature of intestinal pain during defecation (before it, in the process, or after a bowel movement), which preceded it.
• The external character of staining feces with blood is color (bright or dark), streaks or clots.
• The presence of mucus or changes in the consistency of feces.
• Signs of intoxication and the presence of diarrhea.
• Increased temperature, hypotension and abdominal pain.

All these signs should alert the patient, since prolonged rectal hemorrhages are often one of the signs of an oncological lesion of the large intestine.

Treatment - what should be done?

If a red color of feces or various bloody inclusions is found in the feces, an urgent consultation with a doctor is necessary, unless, of course, the patient is completely sure that this manifestation is not the result of food eaten or drugs taken. After all, an early final diagnosis in this situation is vital. Do not self-medicate until the true cause is clarified.

Before visiting a doctor, following some rules will help alleviate the situation: exclude physical activity, alcohol and products that cause intestinal irritation. With severe hemorrhage, cold compresses in the perineum will help - cold water in a heating pad is applied to the perineum for a quarter of an hour. After 5-10 minutes, the procedure can be repeated. The procedure is done lying on your side. In this state, you need to wait for an ambulance. Attempts to cope with the problem on your own can end in failure.

If blood impurities in the feces are found in a child, for any of their manifestations, a mandatory consultation with a doctor is necessary. If the child has relieved the need for a diaper, it is necessary to save it and show it to the doctor. This will help to make a correct assessment of the nature of hemorrhage. If this is not possible, parents need to make a clear description of the feces for the doctor.

Describe the consistency of the feces, what color they are, how strongly they are colored red: in the form of drops, veins, or clots, whether blood is mixed with feces, or is noted only in certain places. How often does the child walk on the big one, what is his temperature, sleep and appetite, how does the child behave? In no case should you give a child painkillers to drink, feed and drink before a medical examination.

It is necessary to completely exclude enemas and heating pads, as well as any medical manipulations. With severe pain, profuse hemorrhagic process accompanying defecation, you should immediately call an ambulance at home. Do not panic, the condition of the parents is transmitted to the child, which does not improve his condition. Surgical intervention in children is extremely rare and usually ends favorably.

What is feces?

This is an indicator of the normal functioning of the digestive and excretory system. In scientific terms, it is often referred to as the process of defecation or rectal emptying.

Viscous, homogeneous yellow feces in a child and in an adult is an indicator of a healthy state of the gastrointestinal tract.

But if for some reason discoloration of the feces occurs or the stool acquires an unusual color, you should worry about your health. Perhaps, in the body there are inflammatory processes. Very light stools can also indicate the initial stage of a serious illness.

In the laboratory, anyone can pass on their own. But deciphering its meaning is not an easy task. But any experienced doctor can help with this.

Let's consider what the norm of the patient's feces looks like through the eyes of a specialist:

1. quantity per day. In an adult - 100-250 grams, in young children - from 30-50 grams;
2. consistency. In adults - formed discharge, in children - viscous, mushy;
3. weight, content. It must be free of impurities, spotting, mucus;
4. smell. Fecal, not harsh. In children - a sour shade of smell, in infants on artificial feeding - putrefactive;
5. brown color - in adults, in babies, not too light yellow or yellow feces are allowed. Discolored feces indicate problems with the body;
6. the enzyme responsible for coloring bowel movements brown, stercobilin. Formed on the basis of bilirubin, which is produced in the liver;
7. pH indicator. In children - 4.8. In adults - more than 7;
8. ammonia. It appears only in older children and adults;
9. neutral fat, fatty acids and muscle fibers are present only in babies;
10. leukocytes are single.

If you change one of the parameters, you should consult a doctor.

Perhaps the reason that discolored stools appeared, dark or other uncharacteristic shade, is food, medicines, an unhealthy lifestyle or illness:

• black. Indicates bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract or the use of berries, such as currants, blueberries. From drugs: "Bisal", "Vikalin", "Activated charcoal";
• red. It is observed in ulcerative foci and lesions of the duodenum. After eating beets, tomato juice;
• dark brown. Signs: constipation, colitis. Large intake of protein foods.

Consider some more features of the change in the color of bowel movements. And why is the feces of some people light, while others are dark.

Yellow stool in an adult

What becomes the main reason for the change in the color of the discharge in humans. And what should you pay attention to if light feces appear periodically. There are several shades to remember.

Yellow stool. It is usually associated with symptoms such as flatulence, diarrhea, abdominal pain. In this case, it is worth thinking about the liver. Causes may be disorders of the biliary system, ducts or food of the corresponding color.

What happens in the body and why does a white unusual stool appear. In case of additional symptoms, such as weakness, nausea, bloating, light-colored feces and dark urine, an accurate diagnosis of the health condition is needed.

These signs indicate serious, often chronic and dangerous diseases:

1. jaundice. Bilirubin, which is produced by the liver, enters the bloodstream and stains the skin, giving the surface of the epidermis a yellowish tint. And in fecal secretions there is a lack of this enzyme. Light white chair;
2. pancreatitis. Severe inflammation of the pancreas, in which enzymes and toxins enter the bloodstream and affect the organs;
3. cholecystitis. Violation of the outflow of bile and the formation of gallstone disease;
4. oncological neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract.

If there are no symptoms of the disease and signs of an inflammatory process, then light feces in an adult person has the usual household causes:

• taking medications;
• fatty protein food;
• wrong diet;
• hormonal contraceptives.

Here you need to carefully monitor the diet, its balance. Do not take medication on your own without a doctor's prescription. If white stools appeared, but returned to normal after a few days, it's time to stop taking the pills and think about a healthy diet.

baby white stool

For babies during natural breastfeeding, as well as mixed feeding, a white discolored type of anal discharge and signs of too light feces are the norm in the absence of significant symptoms of a disease state.

The reasons:

1. teething;
2. breast milk;
3. mixtures;
4. lots of sweets.

In young children, the color of emptying may vary depending on the food: red - from beets, orange - from carrots. A mother who ate a lot of meat can also affect the color change of bowel movements.

Greenish stool

Why can light green stools appear?

What is the reason for this and is it worth fearing such symptoms. If we talk about babies, then such a swampy shade of discharge is the norm. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Olive bowel movements in an adult are signs of diseases: dysentery. Infection that occurs against the background of intestinal damage by bacteria.

Signs:

• rumbling in the abdomen, migraines, stools with blood, mucus and pus;
• dysbacteriosis. Violation of the natural intestinal microflora. Characterized by bloating, diarrhea;
• internal bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, ulcerative foci;
• salmonellosis. An illness caused by a bacterium like salmonella. Symptoms: nausea, loose stools, fever, rash;
• diabetes. Metabolic disorders, damage to blood vessels, tissues;
• food poisoning;
• problems in the thyroid gland;
• uncontrolled use of antibiotics.

These disorders can provoke concomitant symptoms, such as fever, weakness, sharp sharp pains in the stomach, and a decrease in hemoglobin. Often there is arrhythmia, pale skin color, rapid breathing.

Tests to determine the causes of fecal color changes

To identify disorders in the digestive system and organs of the gastrointestinal tract, the following types of analysis are prescribed, which are also associated with a complete study of feces:

1. blood chemistry. Search for discrepancies in the number of leukocytes and hemoglobin to the norm;
2. coagulogram. The study of the rate of blood clotting;
3. coprogram. Examination for occult blood, mucus and pus in emptying;
4. worm analysis. Methods are applied: ELISA method, CPR;
5. colonoscopy. Examination of the colon with the subsequent possibility of further biopsy, sampling of cellular material;
6. CT, MRI, ultrasound examination. Visual study of internal lesions of organs that cause changes in the color of feces.

All the results obtained will help the doctor to make the correct diagnosis and find the causes of light stool in a person.

Treatment is necessarily carried out under the supervision of medical personnel and a specialist, taking medications and undergoing restorative therapy is mandatory.