As soon as a person begins to feel insufficiently well, there is a need to take feces and urine tests. The fact is that a change in the color of feces can tell about many diseases. If there are malfunctions in the digestive system, then you should immediately go to the doctor, and the stool color can serve as a hint, especially if it turns green.
Causes of green stool
Bilirubin fat-soluble compounds that are part of the bile and penetrate the intestine with it are responsible for the color of feces. If the rate of food movement through the intestines is normal, then these bilirubin compounds have time to oxidize and acquire a brown color.
When pathological changes occur in the digestive process, the non-oxidized bilirubin comes out, and green feces appear. Naturally, there are enough reasons for color changes, but there are main reasons:
- The first reason lies in the consumption of a large number of products that contain iron. For example, it can be vegetables and fruits, red fish, beans, drinks with dyes, medications and vitamins.
- Pathogenic factors that are directly related to pathological disorders in the gastrointestinal tract are not excluded. As a rule, green feces can be caused by food poisoning, chronic intestinal inflammation, intestinal flu, food allergies.
It should be noted that any inflammatory process will cause severe pain in the intestines.
Symptoms
Parents should know that sometimes green feces in a child can be considered the norm, but this is only when the child is under three months old and is fed exclusively with breast milk. In all other cases, this may be due to pathology. Young parents should pay attention not only to the color of feces, but also to the consistency. In adults, everything is different, so you should sound the alarm when the following symptoms begin to appear:
- A person has no appetite for a long time.
- Vomiting may occur, there is nausea and heaviness in the stomach, sometimes pulling pains appear.
- Body temperature changes.
With such symptoms, it is not at all necessary that the feces change their color, but in any case, you need to contact a specialist who can diagnose and determine the cause of the deviations.
Causes of feces with green mucus
If green stool occurs, the causes can be due to many factors:
- First of all, infections can enter the intestines. Feces will be accompanied by mucus and have a green tint.
- The color of feces also changes when a complex violation of all parts of the gastrointestinal tract is manifested. In this case, a person can observe a change in feces over the course of a month, and many negative symptoms will also appear that cannot be ignored.
- Green feces can occur if a person has hemorrhoids for a long time.
- The color of feces changes when there are prerequisites for the formation of tumors and polyps. Then the discharge from the anus can not only have a green color, but also be yellowish.
- The color of feces can change due to the fact that there are congenital pathologies, but in this case one should not be surprised, since, most likely, such manifestations already existed.
- A gene mutation that occurs due to atrophy of the intestinal walls is not ruled out.
Any reason requires careful examination by a doctor, especially since due to the very thick mucus feces in general can take on a gray-green hue.
Why does feces turn yellow-green?
In an adult, green feces may not be the norm. Most likely, the problem is the failure of the processes of absorption and digestion of carbohydrates. Sometimes feces can be a yellowish tint, this is due to the fact that the enzymes can not cope with their direct duties, fermentation begins in the intestines, and stools of this shade are formed. For a small child, this color is considered the norm, so parents should not sound the alarm. Specialists most often advise in this case to change the diet and include other products in the diet. If the color changes, then there were those nutrients in the diet that did not quite fit the body.
Causes of green stool in a child
First of all, it is important to pay attention to the features of the manifestation of feces of a greenish tint in a baby. If the baby is very small, then green feces in a child is considered the norm, this is due to adaptation to life. Parents should pay attention that when breastfeeding, the stool does not have an unpleasant odor, but if the baby is on an artificial type of feeding, then, in addition to green, you can also observe an unpleasant odor. The color of feces can change if the baby's teeth begin to erupt, but this does not happen in all children, so parents should be attentive to the health of their baby.
When adults begin to observe in a child not only green feces, but also a deterioration in their general condition, then immediate diagnosis is required. A little man can suffer from dehydration, which occurs due to diarrhea. The reasons lie in the following diseases:
- Dysentery or salmonellosis.
- Escherichiosis in large quantities enters the body.
- Intestinal dysbiosis may develop.
Such pathologies can be detected only after a thorough diagnosis.
What to do when a green stool appears?
Many are interested in what it means if the feces are green, and how to act when it is detected. First of all, it is necessary to identify the cause of the manifestation of such a symptom. If a person feels normal and does not show any additional symptoms, then it is enough to just adjust the diet and exclude foods that can cause changes in feces, sometimes the problem is hidden in taking medications.
When a person feels discomfort and his general condition worsens, then a doctor should be called urgently.
How is salmonellosis manifested?
Salmonellosis is a dangerous disease that occurs as a result of infection in the human body. In just a few minutes, the patient can feel the first symptoms. A person begins to have profuse diarrhea, green feces appear, stomach ache, over time, dehydration of the body may occur, leading to an infectious toxic shock. Naturally, with such symptoms it is necessary to call an ambulance, and before the arrival of qualified doctors provide first aid:
- The patient will need to drink a large number of sorbents. In this case, activated carbon or modern drugs, such as Atoxil, are perfect.
- A person should drink a large amount of water, it is desirable that it was ordinary water without impurities.
Do not self-medicate, because in most cases, without qualified help, salmonellosis is fatal.
Diagnostics
Green feces in an adult most often indicate serious diseases, so careful diagnosis is required. The examination is divided into laboratory and instrumental, it all depends on the clinical picture. Diagnostic methods may be as follows:
- General blood analysis.
- Analysis of urine.
- Blood chemistry.
- Studies of feces and vomit on bacteria.
- An examination of the internal organs.
- Mandatory is colonoscopy and gastroscopy.
- MRI of abdominal organs.
What tests will have to be passed to the patient, only a doctor sets, after collecting an anamnesis.
How to treat green stool?
When a person has green feces, the causes can be very diverse. Before starting treatment, the specialist will not only determine the cause, but also take into account the general condition of the patient. If salmonellosis is detected, then the patient must be hospitalized. Patients who are in serious condition can be urgently operated on or even placed in the intensive care unit. Basically, treatment consists of diets, taking antibacterial drugs, droppers and medications that are aimed at eliminating the symptoms. In most cases, it is conservative treatment that is performed, and less often surgical intervention is required.
Treatment features
When there is a symptom such as green feces, treatment cannot do without the patient taking probiotics. Capsules or powder tablets are available. If food poisoning is observed, then neutralize the negative consequences with activated carbon. It should be noted that this tool is absolutely harmless, and it can be used in different cases, it is recommended even for children. Often, women are faced with the fact that green feces are manifested during pregnancy, in this case, activated charcoal can also be used, it will not negatively affect the development of the fetus, and the health of the mother and baby will be safe. Of course, only an experienced doctor can prescribe drugs, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to cope without the help of a specialist. The treatment uses the drug "Regidron". It is prescribed if the patient opens vomiting. As soon as the stool returns to normal, treatment can be considered finished. Patients are given control tests, which are likely to show the norm.
Disease prevention
When the main symptom is green feces, the disease can be serious, and it should immediately begin to be treated. But few people know that there are preventive measures that are not so difficult to follow. First of all, it is worth normalizing your diet, adhering to a diet, but it should be complete, and also avoid all kinds of food poisoning. As a prophylaxis, examinations of the entire organism should be performed at least once a year to identify some diseases in the initial stages.
Do not flatter yourself too much if symptoms go away after a while on their own. This does not mean that the disease has disappeared and will not bother you anymore. It can return with renewed vigor and with more serious consequences, so a visit to a specialist and examination are inevitable. The sooner the doctor can detect abnormalities in the digestive tract, the more effective the treatment will be with minimal cost without surgery.