Read up on the meaning behind the many different shades of stool. Poop owes its normal, brown color to bile, a substance produced by our liver that helps us digest fats, says Dr. Though bile is naturally green, its pigments change color to yellow and brown as they travel through your digestive system and are broken down by enzymes.
If your excrement is brown and solid , you have no obvious reason for concern. It is usually attributed to something you ate, adds Nandi. Eating lots of green, leafy vegetables like spinach or kale — rich in the pigment chlorophyll — will easily give your feces an emerald hue.
Whitish, clay-colored poop is caused by a lack of bile, which can stem from a blockage of bile ducts. Gallstones are one possible culprit of such an obstruction, says Dr.
But if you see white poop without any of the aforementioned symptoms, you can wait to see a doctor, Swaminath says. When it comes to how often you poop or what your stool looks like, every person is different. So, there is a wide range of "normal. However, there are times when what you see in the toilet bowl is probably outside what would be considered typical. If you notice unusual stools more than just occasionally, or you are concerned about the size, shape, or color of stools, contact your healthcare provider.
The biliary system is the drainage system of the gallbladder , liver, and pancreas. Bile, a digestive fluid, is created in the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and finally released into the first section of the small intestine the duodenum while food passes.
Frequently, medical causes of stool that are pale or clay-colored indicate liver or biliary issue such as:. Bile is what gives stool its brown color. So, pale-colored stool could indicate a problem with the bile, including:. Clay-colored stool caused by a medical condition might also be accompanied by a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes jaundice or darkened urine.
The presence of jaundice along with pale stools could indicate an obstructed bile duct or liver infection. Both of these conditions could be serious so you should discuss your symptoms with a healthcare provider right away. To treat pale stools, your doctor must first identify the underlying cause. In addition to a complete medical history, your doctor may order some of the following tests:.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Some examples of treatments include:. An occasional odd-colored stool isn't usually a concern. However, if pale stools stick around, it can indicate a problem with bile ducts or another underlying medical condition. So, it's essential to seek medical advice, especially if any other symptoms occur along with it, like jaundice or pain. Your healthcare provider may want to run some tests to see what might be causing pale-colored stools.
Treatment depends on the cause. However, it could also be a symptom of a serious medical condition, such as liver disease or a blocked bile duct.
Have you noticed white specks in your stool? The details of your poop can provide clues to your state of health.
Learn what the sight, smell, size, color, and shape of your poop can tell you. While diarrhea often improves on its own within two to three days, a few remedies can help promote firmer stools faster.
We'll discuss these…. A little mucus is commonly found in stools, but if you see more mucus than normal, you may need to consult your doctor. Here's why. The jejunum is one of three sections that make up the small intestine. Learn about its function and anatomy, as well as the conditions that can affect…. At-home microbiome testing kits can be a first step. We look at these and give our recommendations for your overall gut health questions.
Cholangitis is inflammation swelling in the bile duct. There is no cure for biliary cirrhosis , and the disease can be fatal. Treatment can help manage your symptoms and prevent complications.
Commonly prescribed medications include cholestyramine Questran to treat itching and ursodiol Urso Forte , which aids in removing bile from the bloodstream.
Your doctor may also suggest taking vitamins A, K, E, and D, to replace the nutrients that are lost in the fatty stools. Calcium supplements can also help prevent loss of bone density. Medications can sometimes dissolve gallstones. Sclerosing cholangitis is an inflammation or scarring of the bile ducts, which are the tubes that carry bile throughout the body.
The exact cause of this disease is unknown, but genetic factors may be partially responsible. Both medications and surgeries are possible treatments for sclerosing cholangitis. Commonly prescribed medications include:. Your doctor may also prescribe supplements for vitamins A, D, E, and K to replace what the body has lost. Your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics. You may have been born with structural defects in your biliary system that prevent the flow of bile.
After a physical exam, your doctor may order several tests to determine if you have structural defects. These tests include blood tests, scans, and X-rays. Your doctor may be able to surgically repair the defects. The type of defect will determine the type of surgical procedure the doctor will use. Gallbladder removal surgery can result in the narrowing of the bile ducts.
This condition is known as biliary stricture. Your doctor may be able to correct the problems using surgery or a stent. A stent is a small tube that a surgeon places inside the ducts to keep them open so that bile can flow freely. Benign noncancerous or malignant cancerous tumors in the biliary system can interfere with bile flow or inflame the liver. Your doctor may be able to remove the tumor surgically.
If the tumor is cancerous, you may need radiation, a therapy that uses X-rays or gamma rays to destroy cancerous cells. Chemotherapy can also be used. This is the use of powerful drugs to kill cancer cells.
0コメント