In the normal state, feces are colored in various shades of brown. However, this indicator is affected by the food eaten the day before or taking medication. The color of feces can vary from yellow to green or even black. The appearance of the latter should alert a person, since it often indicates the presence of serious health problems, including internal bleeding and cancer.

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Causes of black stool

At the first signs of a tarry stool (melena), a person needs to analyze the possible causes of this phenomenon. The main factors that can cause feces to turn black are:

1. 1. Food.
2. 2. Medicines.
3. 3. Diseases.

The influence of food

Some food products have an effect on the darkening of feces. This is especially true of food containing a large amount of iron and fat-soluble coloring matter. It includes:

Partial staining of feces in the form of black dots is associated with incomplete digestion of food. This phenomenon is caused by:

• Raspberry.
• Kiwi.
• Persimmon.
• Grape.
• Bananas.
• Currant.

Bananas can cause black worm-like clots in the feces, which can be confused with helminthiasis.



Medications

Various groups of drugs can provoke the appearance of black feces. These include:

1. 1. Iron preparations prescribed for anemia - Tardiferon, Ferro-Folgamma, Ferrum-Lek, Hemofer, Sorbifer Durules.
2. 2. Complexes of vitamins - Vitrum.
3. 3. Medicines containing bismuth - Vikalin, Novbismol, De-Nol, Vikair.
4. 4. Sorbents - activated carbon and other preparations containing it.
5. 5. Means based on salicylate - acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin. Prolonged use can cause internal bleeding, characterized by black stools.
6. 6. Antibiotics used in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

The appearance of black feces against the background of the use of various foods and drugs without worsening the general condition is physiological and does not require treatment.



Diseases

The presence of black feces can be a symptom of serious pathologies in the body. In this case, melena occurs suddenly and is accompanied by additional signs:

• Vertigo.
• General weakness.
• Fainting states.
• Confusion of consciousness.
• Paleness of the skin.
• Deterioration in general well-being.
• Nausea.
• Vomit.
• Pain in the stomach.
• Cold sweat.
• An increase in body temperature.

The combination of the above symptoms indicate the presence of diseases. When they need to urgently consult a doctor. Usually, tarry stools are observed with gastrointestinal bleeding caused by:

The presence of a green tint in black feces can also be a sign of a disease - an infectious process, for example, dysentery. In this case, you should immediately contact a specialist, without waiting for the deterioration of the condition. If discoloration is the only symptom, it may be triggered by eating chlorophyll-rich foods such as broccoli, spinach, arugula, and other foods. In addition to color transformation, there is often a change in smell, which indicates a pathological process:

black diarrhea

Diarrhea of ​​a dark tone develops for the same reasons as a decorated stool. The difference is the inability of the digestive tract to remove harmful substances. This is the body's reaction to a change in diet or alcohol poisoning. A similar picture passes on its own after a short period of time.

The sudden appearance of tarry loose stools often becomes a symptom of intra-abdominal bleeding, which is caused by:

• Ulcerative erosion and varicose veins at the location of the pathology.
• Intestinal diseases and the development of neoplasms in it.
• Diseases of the biliary tract.
• Polyps of various parts of the intestine and their damage.
• Viral and bacterial infections.

Dark-colored diarrhea is also a symptom of an exacerbation of existing diseases:

• Hepatitis A.
• Ulcers.
• Cancer.
• Internal bleeding after abdominal operations.

In this case, the symptom may be accompanied by:

• Vertigo.
• Dark or scarlet vomit.
• Decreased blood pressure.
• Paleness.
• Rotten burp.
• Severe pain in the abdomen.

The duration of this condition for more than 2 days is a reason to consult a doctor.

Melena during pregnancy

Women during pregnancy often experience such stool disorders. This is due to the excessive consumption of iron-rich plant foods. It also contributes to the regular use of vitamin complexes.

Pregnancy often causes anemia. For its treatment, iron preparations are prescribed, which stain the feces in a black tint. At the same time, it is worth worrying only in case of deterioration of well-being.

Childbirth does not affect the digestive system, therefore, in women after the birth of a child, the causes of tarry stools are the same as in any adult.

Dark stools in the elderly

Usually, the causes of black feces in the elderly do not differ from other categories of patients. But most often it occurs against the background of the use of drugs and vitamins. In this case, discontinuation of treatment is not required.

The use of activated charcoal and De-Nol provokes a change in color, but the liquid consistency of feces needs to be diagnosed.

Darkening of the stool in the elderly also develops for the following reasons:

• Due to changes in metabolism in bedridden patients.
• Against the background of failure of various organs. Under these circumstances, black stool indicates imminent death.

Diagnosis and treatment

If there is a possibility of black stools due to illness, a number of procedures are prescribed. Studies of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract are being carried out:

• Fibrogastroduadenoscopy (FGDS) - the study of the stomach and duodenum using a gastroscope.
• Rectomanoscopy - examination of the rectum and distal sigmoid.
• Colonoscopy - a study of the large intestine for 2 meters.

An additional check includes MRI, X-ray, ultrasound (based on other symptoms) to identify the pathological process that led to the formation of melena. To exclude internal bleeding, a stool test for occult blood and blood tests are performed.

With a sudden deterioration in health, the appearance of vomiting with an admixture of blood, it is necessary to call an ambulance. The patient must be laid down and provided with:

• Cold (leave an ice pack on the epigastric area).
• Hunger (do not give food).
• Peace.

First aid for suspected gastrointestinal bleeding

To get rid of melena, you need to treat the underlying disease.

Black stool can occur in both women and men and is sometimes a harmless response to high-calorie foods, iron-rich foods, or vitamin supplements. But often this is a signal of the body about the presence of a pathological process that requires treatment. It is necessary to monitor your well-being and at the first suspicion of an illness, consult a doctor.

The digestive system processes food to the smallest compounds, providing the body with the necessary energy. Any malfunctions in the work of the gastrointestinal tract in themselves lead to disorders, and with untimely treatment, serious diseases are also possible.

It is not always possible to identify pathology in the early stages, but if a person has a red stool and there is a deterioration in well-being, this is a strong argument for contacting a doctor.

Fecal masses, forming in the intestines, acquire a brown color. This is due to bile, which is a yellow-green liquid. It is synthesized in the liver and acts as a digestive enzyme.

Passing through the intestines, bile becomes brown, and any deviations from this color give rise to physicians for a more detailed examination.

What is red stool a sign of?

Often, a change in the color of feces to red or orange stools appears only due to the fact that a person has eaten too much food of the corresponding color. And although some people become overly worried about this, the worry is usually unnecessary.

For example, it may appear after eating blood sausage or blackcurrant, and the green color is due to plant chlorophyll.

Orange-colored stools are caused by eating carrots, apricots, and other foods rich in beta-carotene.

Sometimes this color is the result of the use of drugs based on the anti-tuberculosis antibiotic Rifampicin or special vitamin A supplements.

Red feces often appear due to the use of beets or tomatoes.

Many are familiar with this change in stool after a meal, the main dishes of which were herring under a fur coat or borscht. But you also need to eat a lot of such foods so that the red streaks in the feces become pronounced.

If during a therapeutic conversation it turns out that the patient's health is consistently good and has not changed, and the diet has recently been saturated with similar food, doctors do not consider this a disorder, referring to physiological processes.

However, red feces can also indicate intestinal pathology.

When should you be concerned?

The human digestive system is most vulnerable to microorganisms. Of course, microbes can infect any organs, but it is in the gastrointestinal tract that there are all the necessary conditions for the development of pathogenic bacteria.

It is impossible to exclude the insufficiency of the functioning of the liver and pancreas. These organs are responsible for the synthesis of enzymes, without which digestion is simply impossible.

It often signals a dysbacteriosis, which, as a rule, develops after taking antibiotics. These drugs are necessary to fight harmful microorganisms, but the action of chemical compounds extends to beneficial microbes.

In addition, the inflammatory process in the intestine tends to neutralize protective cells - leukocytes. While doing their job, they also die, are excreted along with the feces, which turns green.

Yellow and orange stools may be due to a high concentration of undigested fat. And this indicates a low amount of pancreatic juice.

If a person has black-red feces (solid or streaked), and the corresponding food was not consumed the day before, then the reasons may be pathological:

• haemorrhoids;
• fissures of the rectum or other parts of the intestine;
• ulcers;
• inflammation;
• helminths;
• infection;
• tumor.

However, the redness of the stool varies. It all depends on the location of the lesion.

Bright red stools indicate bleeding in the lower intestines, and dark ones in the upper ones.

In addition, a person often manifests diarrhea, nausea, pain and high body temperature - these additional symptoms are important diagnostic characteristics.

Unlike adults, children often show red stools. And in most cases, this is not a sign of pathology. In very young children (up to 1 year old), reddening of the feces occurs due to an ordinary banana, and it is not so important who ate it: either the child himself, or the mother who is breastfeeding.

Older children are often addicted to a variety of sweets and drinks with dyes, which also contributes to a change in the color of the feces.

Liquid orange stools may indicate indigestion due to the use of low-quality food. Gastric lavage () will come to the rescue in such a situation, as well as taking probiotics - special means for normalizing microflora.

Children sometimes eat completely unwashed fruits picked in the garden, and this is fraught with the development of dysentery, the signs of which are an admixture of blood and pus in the feces. In this case, you should not delay contacting the pediatrician.

What to do with redness of the stool?

First of all it is important to pay attention to well-being if it is good - remember the dishes eaten the day before. If there were no red foods in the diet, then I recommend contacting the hospital for examination - especially if there is a deterioration in general condition, weakness or dizziness.

Red-brown feces have characteristic impurities that indicate a particular disease. Therefore, doctors will require an analysis of feces, and in case of severe malaise, they may prescribe an internal examination using an endoscope.

Red loose stools usually occur with ulcerative colitis. Such a disease is treated on an outpatient basis, be sure to prescribe a special diet with a high content of thermally processed vegetables and fruits.

But in some cases, you can not do without surgery. For example, with gastric bleeding, the patient is immediately sent to the surgical department.
Infectious diseases require the use of antibiotics.

And in the case of bleeding of hemorrhoids, it is quite possible to carry out their resection, although medications are usually prescribed in the early stages. Regardless of the cause of reddening of feces, self-medication is not only undesirable, but also dangerous.

Indigestion can occur in anyone. And if orange feces do not bother doctors, then red is perceived as a sign of pathology in the gastrointestinal tract.

It is better to contact a gastroenterologist who, from the height of his experience, will give a sober assessment of the situation and prescribe the correct course of therapy.

The norm of stool color varies considerably - from yellow-brown to dark brown, almost black. On the other hand, all this must be associated with individual characteristics and each person approximately knows “his own” color range

feces . If the color of his stool becomes unusual, he will quickly notice it.

The brown color of feces is due to the presence of bile in it, already processed into, in addition, there there are undigested particles of food consumed by a person in the last two to three days.

But black feces are rarely normal and familiar to anyone. It usually indicates a number of serious diseases of the esophagus, stomach or intestines

When black stool appears, you should first of all make a list of consumed foods, drinks and medications, not forgetting about food supplements and vitamins over the past two to three days. The fact is that the main reason for the acquisition of black feces is the use of food or drugs that stain the feces in a very dark or even black color.

These products include, for example, red grapes, red beets, prunes. And medicinal "dyes" are iron preparations (in particular, Sorbifer), activated carbon, vitamin-mineral complexes (Vitrum), bismuth preparations (De-nol).

As for medicines, a careful reading of the instructions attached to the medicine can clarify the situation.

Stool blackening with medications or foods does not require any treatment. If there are some aesthetic requirements for the color of your own feces, you should change the menu or preparations.

However, if, having made a list, you have not identified the source of the black color, and this condition has been going on for a couple of days, then you should definitely consult a doctor.

There are drugs that include acetylsalicylic acid (in particular, Aspirin), Ibuprofen, Indomethacin, and a number of drugs that exhibit an anti-inflammatory effect or reduce blood clotting, do not stain the feces by themselves, but they can initiate internal bleeding. The main symptom of internal bleeding is black diarrhea. If the use of such drugs has a black stool, you should definitely notify the doctor.

With the sudden appearance of black feces, it is necessary to analyze the work of the digestive tract. It is possible the occurrence of gastrointestinal bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract. For example, this is possible with an ulcer in the duodenum or intestines. Feces can turn dark in color with bowel diseases, tumors in the stomach and varicose veins of the esophagus. a similar condition may indicate an acute form of lymphoblastic leukemia, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease of the large intestine, esophagitis, plague, hookworm and histoplasmosis.

When the bleeding focus is located below the caecum, the blood in the feces is red and it is clear that this is blood. However, with weak peristalsis, there is a possibility of black feces and bleeding from the initial sections of the colon. The stool turns dark in color under the influence of hydrochloric acid from gastric fluid, which transforms red hemoglobin into black hemin.

With internal bleeding, in addition to black feces, other specific signs are also characteristic. When the process is localized in the stomach, hematemesis can be observed, here gastric juice acts on the vomit, which is why they look like dark coffee grounds. This condition is accompanied by hypotension, general weakness and severe dizziness.. During visual examination, tachycardia, pallor of the skin and mucous membranes are often determined. Severe bleeding most often initiates acute heart failure requiring immediate medical attention.

The color of human feces depends on many factors. This includes the diet, and the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, and the use of drugs. Normal stool color varies from light to dark brown. It is the brown shade of feces that indicates the health of the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, we are talking about the normal secretion of bile in an adult. Why does it turn black, green or yellow? When should I be concerned, and when can discoloration of feces be attributed to nutrition?

What determines the color of feces

Feces are the product of processing food into the body and is formed after the passage of the latter through the digestive tract. Nutrients are absorbed along this route and are available after complex digestive processing, mainly in the stomach and intestines. This process produces non-metabolizable waste that forms feces.

Physiologically, they are brown, because the bile that enters the intestine from the liver is metabolized by the bacterial flora and turns into bilirubin, and then into stercobilin, which gives the feces a brown color.

Causes of discoloration of feces

Thus, under normal conditions, feces are brown in color from light to dark. The indicated color may differ in some cases and this situation is not always a sign of a painful condition. The color of feces, in fact, closely depends on some factors, namely:

• Consumed products. Some foods, especially rich in natural dyes, which are unchanged in the digestive tract, are excreted in the feces, giving it their color. Several examples can be given. All green leafy vegetables such as broccoli are rich in chlorophyll, which can turn stools green. Beets are rich in beta-carotene, which can cause dark red stools.
• Reception of dyes. Food coloring can be found in some foods. For example, Curaçao blue, which has an intense blue color, is used to make cocktails, and ferric ferricyanide (also blue) is used as a drug to treat heavy metal poisoning such as cesium.
• Functionality of the gastrointestinal tract. On the way between the mouth and anus, food, as already mentioned, undergoes a series of mechanical and chemical transformations under the action of digestive juices, enzymes and bacteria. Violations of the coherence of the work of this digestive chain often leads to a change in the color of feces.
• Diseases. Some diseases can cause changes in the physiological concentration of enzymes and juices, which are necessary for the processes of digestion and, therefore, determine changes in the composition and color of feces. Such changes may be the result, for example, of bleeding from the wall of the stomach and / or intestines.

Based on medical practice, the following stool colors may occur: brown, yellow, green, white / clay-gray, black, red.

Yellow stool

When the stool turns yellow, it indicates the abundant presence of undigested fats. This presence is due to:

• Diseases of the pancreas, which reduce the concentration of enzymes in the intestines. An example of such diseases is chronic pancreatitis, which is usually a consequence of alcohol abuse. There is also the possibility of blockage of the duct through which pancreatic enzymes are excreted into the intestine, which is almost always caused by a tumor.
• Malabsorption disease. A typical example is celiac disease (gluten intolerance), which interferes with nutrient absorption, causing bloating, diarrhea, and discoloration of the stool. The consequences of such diseases are especially severe in children and adolescents.

Green stool

Green stools can have both pathological and non-pathological causes.

Non-pathological include:

• Active consumption of foods rich in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in all plants. Among the plants used for nutrition, all green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, as well as arugula and parsley, are especially rich in chlorophyll.
• Diarrhea is not of pathological etiology. Diarrhea shortens the transit time of intestinal contents. In bile, in addition to bilirubin, there is its precursor biliverdin, which has an intense green color. In the intestines, under the action of enzymes and bacteria, it is converted to bilirubin, and then to stercobilin. If the transit is too fast (diarrhea effect), then the transformation cannot take place and biliverdin turns the stool green. The most common non-pathological causes of diarrhea are antibiotics, excess non-ferrous metals, etc.

Pathological causes include celiac disease, intestinal inflammation and tumors. Green color of the stool can also indicate problems with the liver. With the massive breakdown of red blood cells in the liver, a large amount of a substance is produced from their hemoglobin - the so-called bilirubin, which then enters the intestine and can give the feces a green or darker, up to dark brown, color.

Stools are white or gray-clay in color

A significant measure on the color of excrement is influenced by food. The sudden light color of the bowel movements can be caused by the abundant consumption of fatty foods (butter, sour cream). Potatoes and white rice can have the same properties if you eat a lot of them the day before and without adding other products. If the diet consisted more of meat food, and you suddenly ate a large amount of vegetable matter, then the feces will become much lighter. When changing the shade, first of all, remember your diet in previous days. Possibly food was the cause of this phenomenon.

There are a number of medications that can cause feces to clear up. These include:

• antibiotics;
• anti-inflammatory drugs;
• antipyretics (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol);
• antifungal agents;
• drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis;
• drugs for gout;
• agents for the treatment of epilepsy.

If you have undergone such an examination as an X-ray of the gastrointestinal tract or other procedures in which you need to take barium sulfate, then 2-3 days after the stool will brighten very sharply. When the barium is completely eliminated from the body, the excrement will return to its normal color.

The gray color of the stool in combination with the urine of the color of "strong tea" is an alarming sign of the acute phase of hepatitis. Inflammation of the liver leads to a violation of the function of bile formation, which causes whitening of the stool. With hepatitis, the bilirubin produced by the body is excreted through the kidneys and skin, so the urine becomes dark and the skin yellow.

Such a case suggests a lack or absence of bile in the intestines. Bile deficiency leads to a deficiency of bilirubin and, consequently, strecobilin, which determines the brown color of the stool. This situation may be due to blockage of the bile ducts or pancreatic duct. The reasons for this may be gallstones or pancreatic tumors.

Black stool

Possible causes of black stool:

• Excessive consumption of licorice. Licorice is black in color and excessive consumption can stain excrement.
• Taking iron supplements. They give the feces a black-gray color.
• Therapy based on bismuth subsalicylate. Used to treat gastritis and abdominal pain. Turns black when combined with sulfur in saliva.
• Bleeding of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Bleeding from the walls of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine turns the stool black. The reason is that the blood has time to partially digest. The causes of bleeding can be ulcers and tumors.

Red stool

Why does stool turn red? Possible reasons include:

• Excessive consumption of foods containing natural red dye, i.e. tomatoes, beets and red fruits.
• Bleeding of the lower gastrointestinal tract. The reasons that can lead to bleeding are varied. Some of the possible ones are intestinal polyps, colon cancer, hemorrhoids and anal fissures.
• If the stool is dark red/brick-colored, the bleeding is in the upper intestine just below the small intestine.

Symptoms associated with discoloration of feces

The symptomatology that accompanies a change in the color of feces, as a rule, depends on the reasons that led to this situation. There are many reasons, as we have seen. However, the most common symptoms are:

• Diarrhea. Reduces intestinal transit time and is accompanied by green stools.
• Stomach ache. May be associated with bleeding, which is most often accompanied by dark and tarry or red stools.
• Weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath. As a result of anemia, which develops as a result of intestinal bleeding.
• Jaundice. This disease is associated with blockage of the bile ducts and thus grayish-white stools.
• Rumbling in the stomach and flatulence. Associated with malabsorption problems and therefore yellow and greasy stools.

Color of feces in children

In newborns, in the first three days, bowel movements differ from normal feces, which appear by the 4-5th day of life. When breastfeeding, feces have a golden yellow color due to the presence of bilirubin in it (from the 4th month, bilirubin is gradually replaced by stercobilin). When artificially fed with milk mixtures, it acquires a thicker texture, whitish color, stronger smell, alkaline reaction; its flora is diverse, E. coli predominates.

Depending on the age of the child, the nature of feeding, the functional state of the intestine, feces have their own characteristics. So:

• when breastfeeding with breast milk containing a lot of water and few nutrients, the feces are yellow, watery, odorless.
• when fed with insufficiently diluted cow's milk, the feces are silvery in color, glossy (soapy feces), soft, contain small lumps of mucus on the surface.
• with predominantly protein feeding, the feces are dirty gray, mushy, with a sharp unpleasant odor (putrid feces).
• when eating an excess of fatty foods or impaired absorption of fat, whitish stools (fatty stools), with a sour smell, a small amount of mucus.
• with constipation, the feces are hard, gray in color, with a putrid odor.
• with increased peristalsis and insufficient absorption of fat, the feces contain lumps of soap and an admixture of mucus (coagulated feces).
• with starvation or malnutrition of a child who is breastfed, there is a "hungry feces" dark in color, sometimes liquid, with an unpleasant odor, having an alkaline reaction.

Fecal changes in children are also observed in various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract:

• With overfeeding, nutritional errors, feeding that does not correspond to age, dyspeptic stools appear, frequent, plentiful, with mushy or watery foamy yellow-green stools containing white lumps of soaps and fatty acids, mucus.
• With congenital atresia of the biliary tract, viral hepatitis, the feces are discolored, fatty, clayey (acholic feces).
• With dysentery, the stool is thin, watery, contains mucus and blood.
• With celiac disease, the feces are light yellow or grayish, shiny, frothy, mushy, extremely plentiful.
• With cystic fibrosis, feces are plentiful, light, fetid, contain a lot of neutral fat.
• Melena of newborns is characterized by liquid, dark, raspberry-colored feces.

When to See a Doctor

As we have seen, a change in the physiological color of feces is not always a disease; indeed, in many cases, there is a problem of nutrition, without any consequences. However, this symptom, in any case, should not be ignored, because it can indicate serious illnesses.

Particular attention should be paid to the symptoms accompanying the violation of the stool:

• pain syndrome (in any area of ​​the abdomen);
• yellowness of the skin and icterus of the mucous membranes;
• increased body temperature;
• nausea and vomiting;
• dark urine;
• weight loss, loss of appetite;
• bloating, an increase in the volume of the abdomen;
• marked deterioration.

The identification of these symptoms is an indication for an immediate visit to the doctor and the passage of the necessary tests (bacteriological and biochemical analysis of feces, extended coprogram).

You should also contact your doctor without delay if:

• The color change of feces is permanent.
• Changes in the color of feces are periodically repeated, after periods of stagnation.

Diagnosis when changing the color of feces

Diagnosing the causes of faecal discoloration is often a lengthy and complex process. He suggests:

• Anamnestic analysis.
• Analysis of symptoms and signs.
• Physical examination of the patient.
• Blood tests, in particular, a complete blood count (to rule out anemia), a study of liver function, the level of pancreatic enzymes.
• Fecal occult blood tests to check for any bleeding.
• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy. A clinical examination using an endoscope allows you to examine the esophagus, stomach and duodenum from the inside.
• Colonoscopy. The use of an endoscope can reveal polyps, injuries, or tumors inside the colon.
• Sometimes a CT or MRI may be needed to confirm the diagnosis of a tumor lesion.

Given the heterogeneity of the causes that determine the color of the feces, it is impossible to specify a single remedy for the situation: therefore, first of all, we must determine the disease or habit that causes changes in the color of the feces.

If you find any changes in the stool, do not despair. You need to calmly figure everything out, and if necessary, resort to additional diagnostic methods (laboratory, instrumental studies) and the help of qualified specialists. They will be able to make a definitive diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment, if necessary.

Problems in children are perceived with the greatest trepidation, but fortunately, most often they are not serious. They consist in irrational nutrition, and for healing you just need to choose the right diet. And in good condition, only observation is enough, and after a few days the chair will recover on its own.

stool color- an indicator that can depend on many factors. Among these are the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, the composition of the microflora, nutrition and lifestyle of a person. The appearance of an incomprehensible shade of feces usually occurs for physiological reasons, but may also indicate the development of gastrointestinal pathology.

Dark green, gray-green or olive color indicates colitis, irritable bowel syndrome. Feces turn yellow or yellow-brown in violation of the absorption of fats in the body, pancreatic cancer. A sandy shade is a common occurrence for vegetarians. If the feces are red, this most often indicates the presence of hemorrhoids, anal fissures. The color of feces in colorectal cancer of the intestine varies from bright red to beetroot. In this case, the patient has constipation and sharp pain during bowel movements. Scarlet heterogeneous stools may indicate the presence of diverticulitis, intestinal infection, inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. With such symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor and undergo a complete medical examination. Orange color of feces is an indicator of diseases of the biliary tract.

Causes of discoloration of feces

Despite the fact that the color of feces is normal in children and adults is considered brown, temporary changes in shade should not be a concern if there are no symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders. The reasons for changing the color of bowel movements in men, women and children can be varied, from harmless to dangerous to health:

• insufficient secretory activity of the pancreas;
• cholelithiasis, inflammation of the bile ducts;
• oncology, HIV, diabetes;
• dysbacteriosis;
• pancreatitis, chronic cholecystitis, gastritis;
• cholera, rotavirus infection;
• appendicitis;
• allergies, poisoning with toxic substances;
• biliary dyskinesia;
• jaundice.

The color is also affected by the use of alcohol, medications and products containing dyes. Experienced stress is also capable of changing the color of feces in a healthy adult at any age.

Physiological causes: food, drugs

The use of vitamins or tablets can change the color of feces to an unusual and uneven one. The most common drug that affects this indicator is activated charcoal. Iron preparations (Sorbifer, Creon) are also referred to drugs that can color stools.

Darkening of faeces is also possible under the action of bismuth derivatives. Blackening of stools also occurs after eating foods such as blueberries, cherries, carrot juice, coffee drinks, and in rare cases, tomatoes or tomato paste.

It should be borne in mind that the coloring of the stool or the presence of multi-colored inclusions in its composition should not be accompanied by pain, the presence of mucus, diarrhea, constipation, fever.

With such symptoms, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor who will prescribe tests and make a diagnosis.

Symptoms of diseases by the color of feces

The reason for the release of feces, resembling potassium permanganate in color, most often, are streaks of blood in their composition. This indicates hemorrhoids, anal sphincter fissures. Such injuries appear after difficult childbirth, sexual contact, operations to remove hemorrhoids.

Black (hypercholic) stools may indicate bleeding. This is a sign of a stomach or duodenal ulcer. The most dangerous diagnosis in this case is colon cancer. With it, the patient has:

• admixture of blood in the stool;
• change in shape - the stool is thin, like a thread;
• feeling of empty bowel.

Hypocholic, i.e. pale feces, appear after eating a large amount of rice, potatoes. The reason may also be in tumors of the bile ducts. With pancreatitis, the shade of feces also becomes pale. Absolutely white stool (acholic) occurs when the bile ducts are blocked.

When the stools turn ocher in color, then the cause lies in pancreatic insufficiency. If the stool becomes green, earthy, mustard, or clay-colored, it indicates hepatitis.

In the case when a change in the color of feces is accompanied by pain, it is important to seek medical help as soon as possible, according to the results of the diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe the optimal treatment. Eliminate the symptoms will help taking medications such as Almagel, Bifidumbacterin, Omez, Pancreatin, Allochol, Nemozol and Papaverine, Enterofuril.

Change in stool color during pregnancy

Deviations in the properties of feces from the norm in pregnant women, especially in the early stages, are not uncommon. Usually the cause is not a disease, but physiological factors. Women during the period of bearing a child take a lot of iron-containing drugs and multivitamins (for example, Elevit), so the usual color of feces may change to black or green. Sometimes this phenomenon is facilitated by the use of blueberries, currants, cranberries, buckwheat, black pudding. If a woman did not eat such foods, did not take vitamins, she should immediately take a stool test to determine latent blood in it and undergo other diagnostic procedures as prescribed by a doctor.

The reason for the greenish tint of stool lies either in the use of a large number of leafy vegetables, or in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, rotavirus, dysbacteriosis. In the case of pathology, additional symptoms appear, such as persistent diarrhea. For treatment, the doctor prescribes drugs such as Enterosgel, Mezim, Enterol, Smecta, Phosphalugel.

Normal stool in a child

In newborns, in the first two days of life, feces are black, dark green or green in color. With GV (breastfeeding), the stool has a golden, yellow tint, sometimes pearly. By 4–5 months, this phenomenon disappears. If the baby is on artificial feeding with mixtures, his feces become thicker, the smell is sharper, and the color brightens.

If a nursing mother notices that the baby's feces have become watery and yellow (red or lemon), then you should not worry, because. this is affected by changes in the fat content of breast milk. When feeding with poorly diluted cow's milk, the feces begin to silver, air bubbles are observed. If the child is malnourished, then the stools become dark, earthy. This is also observed in children under one year of age with the introduction of complementary foods consisting of green fruits and vegetables. In this case, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician and adjust the child's diet. With dysbacteriosis or other gastrointestinal problems, the doctor prescribes the drug Enterofuril or Essential forte.

Diet and prevention of possible pathologies

If the stools began to darken or lighten, a person must figure out what influenced this. To accurately determine the causes, research and the help of qualified specialists will be required.

To prevent the development of pathologies, it is important to follow the principles of proper nutrition.

To do this, you need to give up too fatty and spicy foods. Another contraindication is the abuse of alcohol and fast food. Vegetables and fruits must be washed well, milk must be boiled. In addition, it is important to take general tests every six months, to conduct ultrasound of the abdominal organs and the genitourinary system. The work of the digestive tract is improved by constant physical activity, including the performance of various gymnastic exercises, running, Nordic walking.