Our chair can tell a lot about our he alth. The shape and types of feces help to recognize what is happening inside the body. When our intestines are he althy, then the stool should be normal. If, however, you sometimes notice occasional cases of unhe althy feces, do not sound the alarm, it depends on the diet. But if the symptoms become regular, you need to see a doctor, get tested and undergo an appointment.
What should be the feces
Normally, stool is considered normal if it has the consistency of toothpaste. It should be soft, brown, 10-20 cm long. Defecation should occur without much stress, easily. Small deviations from this description should not be immediately alarming. Stool (or feces) may vary from lifestyle, dietary errors. Beets give a red color to the output, and fatty foods make the feces smelly, too soft and float. You need to be able to independently evaluate all the characteristics (shape, color,consistency, buoyancy), let's talk about this in more detail.
Color
Feces vary in color. It can be brown (he althy color), red, green, yellow, white, black:
- Red color. This color can occur as a result of ingestion of food coloring or beets. In other cases, red feces become due to bleeding in the lower intestine. Most everyone fears cancer, but often this can be associated with the manifestation of diverticulitis or hemorrhoids.
- Green color. A sign of the presence of bile. Feces moving too fast through the intestines do not have time to take on a brown color. The green tint is a consequence of taking iron supplements or antibiotics, eating a lot of greens rich in chlorophyll, or supplements such as wheatgrass, chlorella, spirulina. Dangerous causes of green stools are Crohn's disease, celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome.
- Yellow color. Yellow feces are a sign of infection. It also indicates dysfunction of the gallbladder, when there is not enough bile and excess fat appears.
- White stool is a sign of diseases such as hepatitis, bacterial infection, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, cancer. The cause may be gallstones. The feces do not stain due to obstruction of bile. The white color of feces can be considered harmless if you took barium the day before the x-ray.
- Black color or dark green indicates possible upper intestinal bleeding. A sign is considered non-hazardous if it is a consequencecertain foods (lots of meat, dark vegetables) or iron.
Shape
The shape of your stool can also tell you a lot about your inner he alth. Thin feces (resembling a pencil) should alert. Perhaps some obstruction interferes with the passage in the lower part of the intestine or there is pressure from the outside on the thick section. It could be some kind of neoplasm. In this case, a colonoscopy should be performed to rule out a diagnosis such as cancer.
Hard and small feces indicate constipation. The reason may be an inadequate diet, where fiber is excluded. It is necessary to eat foods high in fiber, exercise, take flaxseed or psyllium husks - all this helps to improve intestinal motility, relieve stools.
Too soft stool that clings to the toilet contains too much oil. This suggests that the body does not absorb it well. You can even notice floating oil drops. In this case, it is necessary to check the condition of the pancreas.
In small doses, mucus in the stool is normal. But if there is too much of it, it may indicate the presence of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
Other features
According to its characteristics, adult feces are directly related to lifestyle and nutrition. What is the bad odor associated with? Pay attention to what you eat more often lately. A fetid odor is also associated with taking certain medications, it can manifest itself as a symptom of some kind of inflammatory process. Malabsorption disorders (Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease) also show this symptom.
Floating feces shouldn't be a cause for concern in itself. If the floating feces are too foul-smelling, contain a lot of fat, this is a symptom of poor absorption of nutrients in the intestines. At the same time, body weight is rapidly lost.
Coprogram is…
Chyme, or food gruel, moves through the gastrointestinal tract, into feces masses are formed in the large intestine. At all stages, splitting occurs, and then the absorption of nutrients. The composition of the stool helps determine if there are any abnormalities in the internal organs. Coprological examination helps to identify a variety of diseases. A coprogram is a chemical, macroscopic, microscopic examination, after which a detailed description of the feces is given. Certain diseases can be identified by a coprogram. It can be indigestion, pancreas, intestines; inflammatory processes in the digestive tract, dysbacteriosis, malabsorption, colitis.
Bristol scale
English doctors at the Royal Hospital in Bristol have developed a simple but unique scale that characterizes all major types of feces. Its creation was the result of the fact that specialists were faced with the problem that people are reluctant to open up on this topic, embarrassment prevents them from telling in detail about their chair. Based on drawingsit became very easy to independently characterize one's own emptying without any embarrassment and awkwardness. Currently, the Bristol stool scale is used around the world to assess the functioning of the digestive system. For many, printing a table (types of feces) on the wall in their own toilet is nothing more than a way to monitor their he alth.
1st type. Sheep feces
It is called so because it has the shape of hard balls and resembles sheep feces. If for animals this is a normal result of the work of the intestines, then for a person such a chair is an alarm signal. Sheep pellets are a sign of constipation, dysbacteriosis. Hard stool can cause hemorrhoids, damage to the anus, and even lead to intoxication of the body.
2nd type. Thick sausage
What does the appearance of stool indicate? It is also a sign of constipation. Only in this case, bacteria and fibers are present in the mass. It takes several days to form such a sausage. Its thickness exceeds the width of the anus, so emptying is difficult and can lead to cracks and tears, hemorrhoids. It is not recommended to prescribe laxatives on your own, as a sharp exit of feces can be very painful.
3rd type. Cracked sausage
Very often people consider such a chair to be normal, because it passes easily. But do not be mistaken. Hard sausage is also a sign of constipation. During the act of defecation, you have to strain, which means that there is a possibility of anal fissures. In this case it is possiblethe presence of irritable bowel syndrome.
4th type. The perfect chair
The diameter of a sausage or snake is 1-2 cm, the feces are smooth, soft, and easily pressurized. Regular stool once a day.
5th type. Soft balls
This type is even better than the previous one. Several soft pieces are formed that come out gently. Usually occurs with a large meal. Stool several times a day.
6th type. Unshaped chair
Feces comes out in pieces, but unformed, with torn edges. Comes out easily without hurting the anus. This is not diarrhea yet, but a condition close to it. The causes of this type of stool can be laxatives, high blood pressure, excessive use of spices, and mineral water.
7th type. Loose stools
Watery stool that does not include any particles. Diarrhea requiring identification of causes and treatment. This is an abnormal condition of the body that needs treatment. There can be many reasons: fungi, infections, allergies, poisoning, diseases of the liver and stomach, malnutrition, helminths, and even stress. In this case, do not postpone the visit to the doctor.
The act of defecation
Each organism is characterized by an individual frequency of defecation. Normally, this is from three times a day to three bowel movements per week. Ideally, once a day. Many factors influence our intestinal motility and this should not be a cause for concern. Travel, nervous tension, diet, taking certain medications, illness, surgery, childbirth, physicalstress, sleep, hormonal changes - all this can be reflected in our stool. It is worth paying attention to how the act of defecation occurs. If excessive efforts are made, then this indicates certain malfunctions in the body.
Feces in children
Many mothers are interested in what kind of feces babies should have. It is worth paying special attention to this factor, since gastrointestinal diseases are especially difficult at an early age. At the first suspicion, you should contact your pediatrician immediately.
In the first days after birth, meconium (dark in color) comes out of the body. During the first three days, light feces begin to mix in. On the 4-5th day, feces completely replace meconium. When breastfeeding, golden yellow stools are a sign of the presence of bilirubin, pasty, homogeneous, and acidic. At the 4th month, bilirubin is gradually replaced by stercobilin.
Types of feces in children
With various pathologies, there are several types of feces in children that you need to know about in order to prevent various diseases and unpleasant consequences in time.
- "Hungry" feces. The color is black, dark green, dark brown, the smell is unpleasant. Occurs with improper feeding or starvation.
- Acholic feces. Whitish-gray color, discolored, clayey. With epidemic hepatitis, biliary atresia.
- Rotten. Mushy, dirty-gray, with an unpleasant odor. Occurs with protein feeding.
- Soapy. Silvery, glossy, soft, with mucus. When feeding undiluted cow's milk.
- Fatty feces. With a sour smell, whitish, a little mucus. When consuming excess fat.
- Constipation. Gray color, hard consistency, putrid smell.
- Water yellow stool. When breastfeeding due to lack of nutrients in mother's milk.
- Mushy, sparse feces, yellow color. Formed when overfeeding cereals (for example, semolina).
- Feces for dyspepsia. With mucus, curdled, yellow-green. Occurs with an eating disorder.
