It happens that the color of feces indicates serious diseases that can develop in the human body. Therefore, in case of such changes, you should immediately consult a doctor. There can actually be a lot of reasons for changing the color of feces, and they will be associated not only with diseases of the intestines or stomach, but also with other diseases.
Naturally, the color of feces will mainly depend on what exactly the person used before, but this is not always the case, because in most cases a change in color indicates a disease that will be easier to prevent than to cure, but to do you can do this by paying a little attention to your body.
Why does feces change color?
Let's take a closer look at why the color of feces in an adult can change. The reasons are hidden in the following:
- Sometimes the treatment of other diseases cannot be carried out without special drugs that can affect the color of bowel movements.
- Changes can be caused by eating certain foods. If a person includes a large amount of asparagus or lettuce in their diet, then the feces may turn green. Use in large quantitiescurrants or blueberries can turn stools black.
- When a person consumes a lot of milk, the feces will be yellowish.
But a change in the color of feces indicates that painful processes have begun to develop in the body, here are the main ones:
- Stool color changes with cirrhosis of the liver.
- If the patient has a stomach ulcer.
- With any malignant and benign formations in the intestine.
For almost all types of bleeding in the intestines and stomach
When a person noticed that the color of the feces has changed significantly and there were no prerequisites for this, then you should immediately consult a doctor, perhaps this is how a serious illness begins to manifest itself. Timely and correct diagnosis will help to avoid serious diseases in the future.
What does light stool indicate?
The normal color of human feces is brown, it is given by a substance such as bilirubin. When the color becomes too light, up to white, this indicates that bile is not flowing from the gallbladder to the intestines. The reasons are as follows:
- Hepatitis is directly related to liver disease. The reasons may lie in the use of alcohol, infection or toxic substances in the body.
- Colorless stool appears with cholecystitis. In addition, a person may experience other symptoms, such as severe pain in the gallbladder area, decreased appetite, and nausea. As a rule, emptying with cholecystitiswill be liquid, and even in them it will be possible to see the remains of undigested food.
- If there is an inflammatory process in the pancreas, then the color of the feces in an adult changes and becomes light brown, and the disease that changes this indicator is called pancreatitis.
- Inflammatory process in the digestive system is called Crohn's disease and also affects the color of feces.
- Light or white feces can appear if a cancer occurs in the human body. In the initial stages, it is unlikely to detect the disease, because the color of the bowel movements begins to change in the last stages, when the tumor is quite large.
- In no case can not exclude the possibility of light-colored stools when taking antibiotics.
Don't panic if your stool has changed color. It is advisable to try to observe its changes within five days, and if the color does not change, then consult a doctor.
Grey emptyings
Experts recommend paying attention when changing feces to what a person used before emptying. It happens that gray stool appears after a large consumption of potatoes and rice. Sometimes the patient is required to undergo an X-ray examination using barium sulfate, after which the patient may observe a colorless stool that either has a light gray tint or will be completely white. Certain medications are no exception, for example, many of thethey contain calcium and antacids, which discolor emptying. In the case when there are no prerequisites for discoloration of feces, you should definitely consult a qualified doctor.
What does red stool indicate?
If the color of feces in an adult becomes red, then this should alert. Such feces can turn color after eating a lot of foods that are red, but this is not always the case. Red stools may indicate that the person has been taking large amounts of antibiotics that have caused ulcers to open in the stomach, and possibly heavy bleeding. It is important to remember that bloody stools can indicate anal fissures or even hemorrhoids. Red stool appears in such cases:
- After giving birth.
- After an intimate act.
- If an object got into the rectum.
- For persistent constipation.
- If there is intestinal inflammation.
When blood is clearly visible when emptying, then most likely the whole problem lies in the lower part of the intestine. Few people know that the main symptom of colon cancer is bloody discharge along with feces.
Yellow feces
If the color of the stool changes to golden, then the doctor will be able to establish a diagnosis related to the incorrect process of splitting carbohydrates. The main problem occurs in the large intestine, because it is there that poor digestion occurs. Many parents are faced with this problem, having in the familybaby. The fact is that in a small child, the intestines are not yet fully formed, therefore, when the baby takes food, he may have a feces color from light yellow to green. Experts say that the yellow color of feces is normal. It is worth worrying when the stool becomes beige. To accurately determine the cause of yellow feces, you need to consult a doctor who will diagnose and, in case of deviations in the body, prescribe therapy.
What does light brown stool say?
When a person notices light brown stools after a bowel movement, this may indicate that he consumes a large amount of vegetation. Such changes do not carry any pathologies, so you can remain calm. The fact is that feces with such nutrition begin to move much faster, because of this, the stool acquires a light brown hue.
A large amount of protein foods in the diet will quickly correct this deficiency and normalize bowel function.
White feces
The color of the feces changes when the pancreas malfunctions - it turns white. But you should not self-medicate and try to independently establish the work of the body, because we can talk about diabetes. If the color of the feces has changed to white, then it is advisable to go for a consultation with a doctor and take a blood test. Often the white color of feces indicates a possible tumor in the digestive organs. It is necessary to pay attention to the white color of emptying if it occurs frequently. If this symptomappeared only once, then the reason may be hiding in the diet.
Empty green
Often there is green feces, the reasons for its appearance are hidden in problems with the stomach or intestines. The stool can turn green if a person has to take antibiotics for a long time, the color is due to the fact that dead white blood cells may be in the intestines. An infection, such as dysentery, can cause feces of such an unusual color, but in this case, in addition to green feces, a person will be able to note the manifestation of other symptoms, for example, such as:
- Fever.
- Stomach cramps.
- Nausea and severe vomiting.
- Weakness in the body.
It must be remembered that the green color of feces for children in infancy is the norm. If the child does not have any other negative symptoms, then the parents have nothing to worry about.
Black feces
Black feces in an adult may not be dangerous at all. Feces can be stained black for the following reasons:
- A large number of activated charcoal tablets taken.
- Taking iron supplements.
- If there is bismuth in human medicines.
- Eating blueberries in large quantities.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that not only the color plays a role, but also the consistency, if the feces become black and viscous, in which case you need to see a doctor. Black stool will begin to appear in a person,who abuses alcohol or takes drugs. When black feces appear, the reasons may be hidden in taking drugs such as:
- "Ibuprofen".
- "Aspirin".
It is advisable to contact a qualified specialist when changing the color of feces, who can accurately determine the cause of such a pathology.
What to do?
When the feces have an unusual color, it is impossible not to pay attention to this problem. First of all, you should try to adjust your diet and change your diet, as well as carefully analyze what the person used the day before. If the color of the feces has changed, the reasons may be different, so it is important to exclude the development of the disease in the body. When, after the diet changes, the color of the feces also changes, we can say that the reason was hidden in the diet. In any other cases, you should consult a doctor.
It is necessary to pay attention to other symptoms that may accompany the disease, for example, nausea, vomiting, and fever may occur. A change in the shade of feces is just a symptom that may indicate a serious illness, and a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the only correct treatment. Therefore, after detecting the above symptoms, a consultation with a specialist is required.
