Why white feces: causes, possible diseases, diagnosis, treatment

2024 Author: Curtis Blomfield | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 20:44

The appearance of clarified feces may indicate serious diseases in the human body that are associated with the performance of their functions by the liver, pancreas or gastrointestinal tract. It is simply impossible not to notice changes in the work of your body, so you need to remember about other symptoms that appeared in the near future. To understand in more detail why a person has white feces, it is necessary to consider each reason for such a manifestation separately.

Reasons

In no case should you self-medicate, as this can adversely affect human he alth. The most correct thing in this case is to find out why white feces appear, and what diseases can develop in the body. Brown stool in the human body appears due to the work of the liver and bile, which produce a substance such as bilirubin. Accordingly, in the first place it will be correct to assume that pathological processes occur in theseorgans.

If the feces have changed their color, you should consult a doctor who will diagnose and prescribe treatment. Here are the main reasons why stools are white:

1. First of all, such changes may be associated with long-term use of antibiotics or other anti-inflammatory drugs.
2. Some people are constantly eating only fatty foods, which can lead to abnormalities such as colorless stools.
3. Adults may experience white stools when there is not enough bile in the duodenum.
4. A shade of white may be due to gastritis.
5. If a person has been abusing alcohol for a long time.
6. Feces can change color when chemicals are ingested in large quantities.
7. Hepatitis may be suspected with light-colored feces.
8. White stools appear if there are stones in the gallbladder.
9. One should not exclude oncological diseases or the formation of malignant tumors that have developed for a long time without obvious symptoms.

These are not all variants of diseases that can lead to discoloration of the stool, but they are considered the most common. It is simply impossible not to pay attention to such a symptom, because it is dangerous when white feces appear in an adult. The reasons can be completely different, but each of them poses a threat to human life to some extent.

Symptoms

Besides havinga person has a light-colored stool, other symptoms may also appear in parallel, which signal that a serious failure has occurred in the body:

1. A person may additionally have an increase in body temperature.
2. Digestion is disturbed.
3. There is pain in the abdomen, which is most often manifested on the right side.
4. The whites of the eyes and skin may turn yellow.
5. Significantly reduced appetite.
6. Vomiting opens and constant nausea appears.
7. General weakness and malaise.
8. Urine becomes dark in color.
9. Mucus appears in the stool with white patches.
10. Weight loss.



11. You can see small lumps of unprocessed food in the feces.
12. Discharge has a strong odor.

Along with these symptoms, there may be others that are not described above, but all these deviations indicate that unacceptable processes are taking place in the body, which can only be eliminated with the help of the correct treatment prescribed by the doctor.

White-yellow feces

If there is a malfunction in the gastrointestinal tract, then most likely there will be such a symptom as white-yellow stools. In this case, the sick person himself may not observe any other symptoms. It should be noted that in itself such a pathology may not indicate any serious disease. For example, it can be directly related to eating low-quality food or too much fat. In suchdiet is used as the main treatment. Before asking the question: "Why is the feces white," it is worth focusing on whether you had to take antibiotics or contraceptives for a long time before. But if, in parallel with light feces, symptoms such as a feeling of heaviness, bloating, gas formation, and intestinal upset still begin to appear, then you should immediately consult a doctor.

Why does white mucus appear in stools

When white mucus can be found in a person's feces, then, most likely, the main problem lies in malnutrition. Mucus of this color appears when a person consumes too much dairy products, as well as fruits. If a large amount of mucus appears, then in this case it is most correct to talk about pathogenic microorganisms that are in the intestine. Pale stools, almost white in color, may indicate:

1. Food poisoning.
2. On the formation of polyps in the intestine itself.
3. On irritable bowel syndrome.
4. When a person is allergic to certain types of food.
5. Formation of malignant tumors in the intestines and stomach.



6. Diseases such as diverticulitis and cystic fibrosis are not excluded.

In any case, mandatory diagnosis and treatment prescribed by a qualified specialist is required.

Acholic pregnancy bowel movements and diarrhea

Somewomen are faced with a problem and ask themselves the question: “Why is the feces white with diarrhea?” In this case, it is worth determining whether pregnancy has occurred, since such phenomena can be directly related to the restructuring of the body. It is worth noting that during the bearing of a child in a woman, all organs work with double strength, so there may be malfunctions in the work of digestion. In this case, you should not be too scared, but you need to contact a specialist who will determine exactly what the problem is and prescribe the right diet to normalize the stool.

White stool in children

Many parents often look for the answer to the question: "Why is the child's feces white", which at first glance seems to be completely he althy. It should be noted that most often the problem is hidden in dysbacteriosis. Infants practically cannot have hepatitis, but still, careful parents will definitely consult a doctor to rule out this disease. As a rule, white stools rarely appear in a child up to a year, but you need to pay attention to the smell and its consistency, if there are pieces of undigested food left, then most likely the baby has dysbacteriosis. It is dangerous when the color of urine changes along with colorless feces, for example, it becomes dark in color, in which case we can talk about liver damage.

At an older age, the causes of white feces can be hidden in malnutrition or viral diseases.

What to do when a symptom is detected?

If a person discoveredyou have colorless feces, then in this case you don’t have to think about why the feces are white, but you should immediately consult a doctor. The specialist will definitely prescribe all the necessary tests in order to identify the problem and do everything possible to eliminate it as soon as possible. It is worth remembering that even a single appearance of white stools can mean serious diseases in the liver area. If the patient does not have any other symptoms, then it is worth trying to adjust the diet, for example, to exclude fatty foods and alcohol. Naturally, the stool can return to normal, but this does not mean that there are no reasons for contacting a specialist, you can also get checked as a preventive measure.

Diagnosis

Why the feces are white in an adult, any doctor will be able to say only after a thorough diagnosis. The main task in this case is to exclude serious pathologies that may occur in the digestive system. Only after collecting all the necessary tests, the specialist will be able to prescribe the correct and correct treatment. When it turns out that the discoloration of the feces was due to the presence of stones in the gallbladder, the organ is removed. For proper diagnosis, the following procedures are assigned:

1. The specialist must first of all exclude the exacerbation of chronic diseases and the presence of infections, for this it is necessary to take a stool test.
2. When required, ultrasound of some organs is performed.
3. Chemical testing often required.

As soon as the doctor determines the reason why the feces are whitecolors, then he will immediately prescribe an effective treatment that will not only normalize the stool, but also remove other unpleasant symptoms.

Treatment

If a person's feces are discolored for the first time, then you can try a light diet in order to normalize it. People who consume excessive amounts of alcohol are most likely to experience changes in the intestines. As soon as the body is cleansed of alcohol, everything will immediately fall into place. If the discoloration of the feces is in no way associated with poisoning or antibiotics, then the patient will need to follow the doctor's recommendations:

1. Be sure to stick to the diet.
2. Comply with bed rest.
3. Try to drink as much liquid as possible.
4. Don't eat fried and spicy food under any pretext.

In most cases, experts can easily determine why the feces are white, and, it should be noted that most often this happens due to infection. In this case, the following drugs may be prescribed for treatment: Klaforan, Cefotaxime, Doxycilin, Monomycin, Gentamicin.

If cholecystitis is diagnosed, the patient may be prescribed "No-Shpu" to relieve spasms. For each disease, the doctor prescribes his own treatment, taking into account the individuality of the body.

Diet

To be completely cured and never again face the question: "Why is the feces white in an adult, what disease does he havelook for", it is necessary to properly form your diet as a preventive measure. Each person is recommended to eat less fatty, s alty and smoked foods, eat marinades and preservatives in moderation.

If, nevertheless, it was not possible to maintain he alth, and the bowel movements have acquired a light shade, then do not neglect a visit to a doctor who will diagnose and prescribe drug therapy.