Brown most of the time, stools can sometimes become clearer. Simple variation or sign of a digestive problem? Dr. Thierry Higuero, gastroenterologist, alert on cases not to be overlooked.
Normal stools … but not always brown
Normally, the stools draw their brown color from a pigment called stercobiline. Its presence is linked to the flow of bile in the intestine. Depending on the diet, the shade may vary: darker after a lot of red meat, clearer after a vegetarian diet or an episode of diarrhea. These passenger changes are frequent and generally without gravity.
When discoloration becomes an alert signal
If the stools become a lasting pale or white, the problem is more serious. “”White stools putty colored are the symptom of an obstacle to the flow of bile in the duodenum, which is the first segment of the small intestine“Explains Dr. Higuero.
When bile does not circulate properly, it refuses in the blood. “”If the bile does not flow well in the digestive tract, it will reflect in the blood. This will cause jaundice, more commonly known as jaundice, which corresponds to a yellow or yellowish coloring of the conjunctive and then the skin “adds the specialist. This sign is often accompanied by very dark urine.
In infants, the presence of gray sedes putty or white may indicate neonatal cholestasis, a rare but serious disease (1 case out of 2500 births), which requires emergency management.
Possible medical causes according to experts
The gastroenterologist details the exams to be carried out: “Generally when the stools are clear, the obstruction of the bile ducts is progressive and not brutal and complete. A blood test must be carried out to search for cholestasis and ultrasound is made to confirm the obstacle and locate it. An MRI and a pancreas scanner may possibly be necessary in the event of suspicion of tumor of the bile ducts “.
Clear stools can be linked to:
- The presence of calculations in the bile ducts;
- Certain cancers of the digestive system (head of the pancreas, bile ducts);
- Hepatitis;
- Pancreatic insufficiency, often associated with fatigue and weight loss;
- Chronic inflammation of the intestine;
- Or more simply a food imbalance or a temporary diarrhea.
In any case, if discoloration persists or is accompanied by pain, fatigue, frequent mucus or blood in the stool, a medical consultation is recommended without delay.