Feces are a waste product of the human body. His condition may indicate processes occurring not only in the gastrointestinal tract, but also in other human organs. It is necessary to know by what signs of stool pathologies are determined. This is important for young parents to monitor their child's condition. And you need to monitor your feces more closely so as not to miss the onset of the disease.
Even in ancient China, healers could fairly accurately make a diagnosis based on the appearance and consistency of the patient’s stool. And this is without any diagnostic devices or instruments. In the modern world, when a doctor observes old spots in the stool, he assumes several reasons for this phenomenon. The patient is sent for a more precise, additional examination.
What are white dots
When it is said that there are white spots in the stool, it means the presence of white clots in the stool.
Most often these are the remains of undigested food, which indicates a violation of the level of bile and other enzymes necessary for the breakdown of all food products.
When white dots appear in an adult’s stool once, this is not yet a cause for concern. After all, this could be a one-time failure. But if this phenomenon has become regular, this is a serious reason to be examined by a doctor.
If a child has white spots in his stool, then waiting for them to appear regularly is unnecessary and dangerous. After all, pathologies in children’s bodies develop much faster than in adults. Therefore, you need to contact your pediatrician immediately after the appearance of this symptom. A photo of white dots in stool looks unattractive, although you should always monitor the condition of your stool.
Where to go if there are inclusions in the child’s stool?
If black or white dots, strings, or veins are found in the child’s stool, doctors recommend doing a coprogram. A referral for such an analysis can be given by a pediatrician or a gastroenterologist at a children's clinic. Carrying out a coprogram involves studying such indicators as color, consistency, smell, reaction, mucus, blood, undigested food residues, etc. Based on the data obtained, the doctor will be able to determine the cause of the appearance of grains and, if necessary, prescribe appropriate treatment.
Good afternoon, please tell me what tests we should take to rule out or cure possible problems. The child is three months old, completely on guard, and is very tormented by gases; before pooping, he pushes for about 10 minutes and farts a lot, and sometimes farts loudly in between. A child’s poop: if he poops often a little at a time (every 3 hours), then it’s yellow with white lumps, there may be a little clear mucus, and if he hasn’t pooped for about 8 hours at night, then the poop becomes streaked with white. I’m scared, because. because they look like worms. What is this test called in laboratories? And how to collect it correctly? Or do we urgently need to go to the hospital? Every week we gain about 250 grams in weight.
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Associated symptoms
The presence of the disease is indicated not only by the presence of white dots in the stool. Often this phenomenon is accompanied by a number of accompanying symptoms:
- Abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence.
- Severe nausea followed by vomiting.
- Presence of blood in stool.
- Tachycardia, shortness of breath.
- Joint pain.
- Erosion on the oral mucosa.
- Fissures or ulcers of the anal sphincter.
But even if there are no similar symptoms, and white spots in the stool of an infant or an adult become regular, you need to undergo a full medical examination.
Constipation and white spots
Constipation occurs when a person has heavy or infrequent bowel movements. Stool or digestive waste moves too slowly through the digestive tract. The problem can also often be accompanied by dry and hard stools, which become so due to their slow movement.
Constipation can be caused by a blockage in the colon or rectum, a problem with the nerves around the anus, or other conditions that affect hormones in the body. Other causes include colon cancer, eating disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, overuse of laxatives and emotional stress.
Chronic constipation may present with the following symptoms:
- Having fewer than three bowel movements per week
- Hard, dry, and lumpy stool
- Excessive straining during bowel movements
- Painful or swollen belly
- Vomit.
If you are constipated, do the following:
- Drink plenty of water and fruit juice to keep your body hydrated
- Increase the amount of fiber you consume
- Laxatives can be used to soften stool
- Call a doctor if constipation, abdominal pain, or cramping suddenly occurs.
Bile level disturbance
It is bile that gives stool its characteristic light brown color. Without this element, normal digestion of food is impossible. A decrease or increase in the level of bile in the stomach can occur due to a variety of diseases.
First of all, this is cholecystitis - inflammation of the gallbladder. It is this organ that produces concentrated bile and supplies it to the liver and gastrointestinal tract. With cholecystitis, the normal content of bile changes, which leads to incomplete digestion of part of the food.
Another reason for decreased bile levels is liver disease - cirrhosis and hepatitis. These diseases usually follow one from the other. That is, hepatitis first appears, characterized by inflammation of the liver, and if left untreated for a long time, it turns into cirrhosis. And in this state, liver cells not only degrade, but also completely die, reducing liver functions to zero. Naturally, in this state, it cannot pass bile through itself and regulate its level.
Cirrhosis is caused by alcohol abuse, and hepatitis is easily transmitted from person to person through touch and blood. For example, hepatitis A is called household hepatitis precisely because it can be contracted by using dirty dishes. And hepatitis B is transmitted only through poorly sterilized medical instruments. Additional signs of liver failure are abnormal bowel movements, pain in the right hypochondrium and stomach, nausea, and vomiting.
With cholecystitis, stones form and accumulate in the gallbladder. They impede the movement of bile through the ducts, sometimes blocking them completely.
Inflammation of the pancreas
The causes of white spots in the stool of an adult may be disturbances in the functioning of the pancreas. It is she who secretes the enzyme necessary for digesting food, which is supplied to the stomach along with bile. If a person develops pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), then its ducts for removing the enzyme are blocked, and the organ begins to digest itself. At the same time, food is broken down extremely poorly, especially fats. This is where feces with white spots appear in an adult. Pancreatitis occurs extremely rarely in children, since the main cause of its development is alcohol consumption.
Treatment for this pathology, as well as for cirrhosis, consists of normalizing the diet and supportive therapy. But it is almost impossible to restore the organ. Most often, pancreatitis and cirrhosis lead to the death of the patient.
Diagnostics
If your stool is upset, consult a therapist or gastroenterologist. The doctor will draw up an examination plan taking into account complaints and objective examination data.
- Coprogram - if food digestion is impaired, muscle fibers, starch grains, fiber, soap, drops of neutral fat, and fatty acids are detected in the feces. During the inflammatory process, leukocytes and mucus appear.
- Analysis for helminth eggs - vegetative forms and protozoan cysts, helminth eggs are detected.
- Bacteriological examination of feces - by inoculating feces on special media, the composition of the intestinal microflora is determined.
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs - evaluates the structure and size of the pancreas and liver.
- FGDS is an examination of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum using endoscopic equipment.
- Colonoscopy – endoscopic examination of all parts of the colon
- Consultations with other specialists: infectious disease specialist, proctologist, oncologist.
Candidiasis
If a person has white spots in their stool, this may be a consequence of a fungal infection of the intestines - candidiasis. It is caused by the fungus Candida, which is transmitted through sexual contact or through the oral mucosa.
The fungus settles on the walls of the intestines, completely disrupting the digestion process. Additional manifestations of this pathology are white vaginal discharge in women, itching and burning of the genitals, white coating on the tongue and mucous membrane of the throat.
With candidiasis, a person has a strong desire to eat something sweet. This also negatively affects his metabolism. Therapy does not guarantee complete elimination of fungal infection, but it strengthens the body’s immune system so much that it can cope with the fungus on its own. Young children are most susceptible to this pathology. In them, candidiasis can be aggravated by taking antibiotics and violating the diet. In this case, the exacerbation is accompanied by a burning sensation in the anus, which makes parents think that their child is suffering from parasites. In this case, only a doctor can clarify the diagnosis and only after laboratory tests of the feces and blood of a small patient.
Diagnostics
Before prescribing treatment, a comprehensive examination is required, which includes:
- hardware diagnostic methods (ultrasound, GFDS, colonoscopy, etc.);
- laboratory tests of blood, feces and biomaterial taken from the mucous membrane of the stomach and/or intestines during a biopsy.
These methods allow you to assess the condition of the digestive system as a whole, and identify the causes of the complaints that the patient has addressed.
Based on the results of the examination, an individual treatment program is formed, which takes into account all identified organic or functional disorders in the gastrointestinal tract. Since disorders of the digestive functions inevitably affect the functioning of other systems and organs and cause many complications, the diagnosis and treatment may require the participation of other specialists (proctologist, hepatologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, etc.).
Parasites
When small white dots move in the stool, this is a sign of parasite infestation. These may be segments of a tapeworm or fragments of the bodies of already dead parasites. But, one way or another, it is necessary to get tested for worms.
If a dog has white spots in its stool, it is almost certainly worms. After all, animals do not drink and cannot provoke liver or pancreas diseases. So the most likely cause in this case is parasites.
In addition to the presence of segments in the feces, a person with helminthic infection experiences sudden weight loss, nausea, as well as diarrhea, general weakness, and dizziness. All these are the consequences of the fact that worms suck out useful substances from the body and poison it with the products of their vital activity.
Treatment for helminthic infestation involves taking medications that kill parasites and strengthen the immune system. Each type of parasite has its own type of drug, so the type of drug, its dosage and regimen of use are prescribed only by a doctor after a complete laboratory examination of the patient’s stool and blood.
Lactose intolerance
Lactose is a unique substance found only in dairy products. Its structure resembles sugar. But not all organisms can digest lactose. This is caused by the excellent composition of gastric juice. There are few such people, but they do exist. Due to the unique composition of their gastric juice, they cannot consume dairy products. Some people get diarrhea from them, some get flatulence, and some people get pieces of undigested lactose in their stool.
Treatment in this case is a long-term adaptation to a new diet designed to change and normalize gastric juice.
Hypercalcemia
Toxins and undigested food elements are removed from the body with feces. These include calcium. It is taken as part of immune-strengthening therapy or as an additional substance for the muscles and bones of athletes.
Calcium is a solid and cannot be completely dissolved in the body. Therefore, it does not exit through the urinary system. He has only one way out - with feces. Calcium is white. In stool it appears as small white dots.
A large amount of calcium can result in frequent constipation, nausea, and even vomiting. Due to an overdose of calcium, a person feels constant weakness and general malaise.
Yellow balls
Yellow balls in the stool are most often associated with a pathology such as lactase deficiency. The body of an adult does not have enough enzymes that are responsible for the breakdown of milk sugar. Because of this, whole milk, cottage cheese, cheeses, and yogurt are not digested.
Pathology can be recognized by symptoms such as loose stools, pain in the lower abdomen, and increased gas production. In rare cases, vomiting occurs that has a milky color and a sour milk smell.
Other reasons
White spots in stool should only be a cause for concern if they appear regularly. When this happened once, there is no need to worry about this. White spots could appear as a result of the fact that a person ate wheat, corn or pomegranate the day before.
White spots may appear as a result of treatment with medications containing antacids and aluminum hydroxide.
This phenomenon may be a consequence of gluten intolerance. But in this case, white spots in the stool are accompanied by symptoms such as flatulence, bloating, erosions on the oral mucosa, loose stools or, conversely, constipation, nausea, vomiting, fragility of the hands, depression and increased anxiety. In women, the regularity of menstruation may be disrupted.
Principles of treatment
Treatment begins only after a complete diagnosis and identification of the causes of the appearance of white spots in the stool.
If they are the result of a malfunction of the liver, pancreas, or gall bladder, then therapy is based on normalizing the functioning of these organs. It is imperative to normalize the secretion of bile and enzymes for digesting food. Sometimes it is necessary to resort to surgical treatment methods when conservative methods do not help. For example, it may be necessary to completely remove the gallbladder or clear away dead tissue from the pancreas.
If stool with leucorrhoea spots is explained by the appearance of helminths or other parasites, then the patient undergoes a course of treatment for helminthic infestation. It can last from 1 week to 3 months, depending on the type of parasites and their number in the body. After this, you need to retake the coprogram.
The simplest treatment would be to stop or replace the medications that caused the appearance of white spots in the stool. For example, an athlete refusing to take calcium.
Feces for your health
Intestinal peristalsis is an integral part of digestion. Feces formed in the large intestine are the body's natural way of cleansing the body of undigested food debris and toxins.
Normal motor activity of the intestine is a wave-like contraction of its smooth muscles, which ensures the gradual movement of feces towards the anus. Their color, structure, quantity, smell and consistency provide important information about our health. Pay attention to changes in stool that last for a long time, and not to temporary deviations that last 1-2 days. Abnormal bowel movements for a week or more can tell a lot about your health.
