CSE- GI. Stool

Yellow, greasy or foul smelling stool.

variety of reasons why stool will be yellow, greasy, and foul smelling. It can be due to the intestine's inability to digest and absorb fat because of diseases of the intestinal lining (such as in celiac disease and cystic fibrosis) because the pancreas is unable to manufacture adequate digestive enzymes (such as with chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer that blocks the pancreatic duct, or there is not enough bile being delivered to the intestine (such as in cancer of the liver or bile ducts that block delivery of bile to the intestine). The yellowness, greasiness, and foul smell is due to the undigested fat

Bright red stool

The most common cause of bright red stool is bleeding from hemorrhoids, but other bleeding causes are much more significant. For that reason, blood in the stool should never be ignored. Other causes include infections of the intestines, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), diverticular bleeding, tumors, and arteriovenous malformations (abnormal communications between arteries and veins in the wall of the intestine that rupture).

Black tarry stool

Upper gi bleed. These stools tend to be tarry (sticky), and foul smelling. This can be a medical emergency; black tarry stools should not be ignored.

Clay colored stool

White-or clay colored stool are often seen with diseases of the liver or bile ducts. It also may be caused by pancreatic cancer that blocks the bile ducts. Lack of bile gives stool its brown color and leaves it appearing pale.

Black tarry stool

Black stools are a worrisome symptom because it may be due to a large amount of bleeding into the GI tract, most often from the upper GI tract including the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum.

Green Stool

If stool passes through the intestine too quickly, there might not be enough time for bile to be digested and broken down to provide the normal brownish stool color. Bile that is chemically changed by bacteria in the intestine can be greenish-brown. It takes time for the bile to be fully changed in the intestine and become brown again, and if the transit time is short, the stool remains green colored. Green stools may be a normal variant. It can also be caused by a diet rich in green vegetables, especially spinach. Iron supplements also may be a cause, though iron often turns stool black.

Stool color

Maroon colored stools are often due to bleeding in the GI tract. The source of bleeding for red stools is the upper GI tract (esophagus, stomach, duodenum), while the colon is the source for bright red blood. Maroon stools, which is caused by partial digestion of the blood in the intestine often arises from the small intestine (jejunum, ileum) and proximal colon, but the color also depends in part on how rapidly the blood travels through the intestines. The faster the stool moves through the GI tract, the brighter red the color. This can be an emergency situation.

Stool

Stool (feces or poop) is the waste product of digestion. Food mixes with bile from the liver and digestive enzymes from the pancreas allowing protein, carbohydrates, and fats in the diet to be broken down to form a slurry. This liquid mixture then passes through the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed into the blood stream, and the leftover liquid waste is delivered to the colon. In the colon, water is absorbed and results in stool formation. Normal stool contains bacteria and undigested or partially digested food, especially cellulose from plant material, and bile.