Diseases according to stool color

Brown stools indicate normality. The brown color is the usual color of stool and is due to the joint action of bilirubin and intestinal bacteria that cause bilirubin to transform into stercobilin, whose color is brown, which gives this color to the stool. The tonality and consistency can vary depending on the diet and the person, being lighter or darker or more or less consistent.

When it is a dark brown color, it is because the stool has been in the digestive tract for a long time, but it does not mean that you have any disease. Whether the shade of brown is lighter or darker is also due to the diet of each person and does not have to be alarming.

The green color of the stool indicates that these have passed very quickly through the intestine and the bile has not had time to change. It can be due to a diet rich in vegetables or vegetables rich in chlorophyll. In this case, the color will disappear by expelling all the remains of that food. Normally, they are not usually caused by any disease, although they seem alarming.

However, in some cases, green stools can also be the cause of diarrhea. This produces very fast expulsions and, as we have mentioned, the fecal matter passes very quickly through the intestine.

You can see what other factors cause the stool to have this color by referring to the article Causes of green stools.

A white stool denotes that there is a absence of bile. This may be due to a liver, pancreas, or gallbladder disorder and it is important to see a doctor if this type of stool occurs.

Some disorders that cause this type of stool are:

• Alcoholic hepatitis: it is damage to the liver caused by excessive alcohol consumption. The end of alcoholic hepatitis is liver cirrhosis.
• Biliary cirrhosis: it is a scarring of the liver due to the bile ducts becoming inflamed and causing a blockage of the bile.
• Benign or cancerous tumors of the liver, the biliary system or the pancreas: these are formations that are created in these areas. Normally, they do not produce symptoms but if they cause pain or bleeding, they should be removed and treated.
• Bile duct cysts: They can cause bile duct obstruction and cause bile to not flow normally.
• Gallstones: commonly known as gallstones. They are formations of bile that have crystallized forming that kind of stones. They are formed due to the sedimentation of the components of the bile (cholesterol, bile salts and calcium). If they do not cause symptoms, they do not require treatment, but in some cases they do need to be removed or diluted with medication.

When intestinal x-rays are performed, the patient is normally required to swallow a quantity of liquid containing barium. This compound can produce white stools after the X-ray, but this would only be normal if you have had this test.

Some diarrhea medications can also cause white stools.

Yellow feces are typical of suffer from any disease, so if your stools have a yellowish color it is convenient that you go to your doctor.

Some diseases that can cause yellow stools are as follows:

• Gilbert syndrome: It is an excess of bilirubin in the blood causing jaundice and that yellowish color typical of this disease. The yellow color is given by the abundance of bilirubin. It has no symptoms and it is a benign syndrome so it does not require treatment.
• Giardia bacteria: It is a type of infectious bacteria that can affect the intestine. This condition could cause yellow stools.
• Celiac Disease: When a celiac ingests gluten, this protein damages his small intestine causing food to not be properly absorbed.
• Gallstones: As we have mentioned before, they are stones that form in the gallbladder and, depending on their symptoms and size, require removal or not.

The malabsorption of nutrients, in addition to hepatitis or liver diseases, can also produce this type of stool.

Discover more details by consulting the article Yellow stools, causes and treatment.

Both black and red stools indicate the presence of blood, but each with its differences. Nails black stools indicate a high tar consistency and this is due to a upper digestive tract bleeding (esophagus, stomach or small intestine). It is advisable to perform an endoscopy to know the diagnosis.

Black stools may also be due to taking an iron supplement in people with anemia.

On the contrary, some very red stools indicate that the blood comes from the lower part of the digestive tract (large intestine, rectum, or anus). They may simply be due to hemorrhoids, that create small fissures in the anus causing it to bleed. If you are a person who suffers from constipation, this may be the cause.

However, do not stop looking, since red stools can also be due to diseases such as:

• Crohn’s disease: it is an inflammatory bowel disease that must be treated.
• Ulcerative colitis: Like the previous one, it is also an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the colon and rectum. As its name suggests, it causes ulcers in the colon that can lead to bleeding stools.
• Intestinal ischemia: It occurs when the arteries in the intestines narrow or become blocked, preventing blood from flowing.
• Colon cancer: a colorectal colon may also occur. In these cases, cancerous tumors form in the area that develops the disease.
• Tumors: Other types of tumors can occur in the intestines that do not have to be carcinogenic, but also cause bleeding.

If you have any questions or changes in your stool that are alarming, do not hesitate to go to the doctor. He better than anyone will know how to treat you if it is an anomaly.

This article is merely informative, at oneHOWTO we do not have the power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Diseases according to stool color, we recommend that you enter our category of Diseases and side effects.