Feces for the degree of digestion

Feces for degree of digestion

Clinical significance

A normal stool has a pó³ consistency, with no undigested food residue. It should also not dirty the toilet bowl after draining. It is usually brown in color. A dye called sterkobilin is responsible for the color. Fecal color can be affected by diet (beets, berries) and medications. Aluminum preparations that neutralize stomach acid and oral contrast agents that contain barite give a white color, preparations containing iron or bismuth a gray or black color, someóre herbal medicines a green color, and rifampicin an orange color.Pathologically, feces can be black, tarry (bleeding from górne sections of the digestive tract), pale, yellowish (liver diseases proceeding with stasis of bile, hepatic stenosis, mechanical stenosis), discolored (mechanical stenosis, oral administration of contrast containing barium), greenish (bacterial infections). Feces can be loose, glossy (pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, diseases of the small intestine), foamy, shooting (infections of the digestive system, digestive and absorption disorders), oówky (rectal stenosis - cancer of the colon and rectum, or less frequently - inflammatory, scarring lesions in the anal area).Admixture of fresh blood can indicate varicose veins of the rectum (hemorrhoids), blood mixed with stool occurs in cases of bleeding from górne sections of the gastrointestinal tract (gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastric cancer, esophageal varices, esophageal cancer, Mallory-Weiss syndrome). Bloody stools also occur in bacterial diseases, parasitic diseases, tumors (colon polyps, colon cancer), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis. In the case of macroscopically invisible blood, when the possibility of gastrointestinal bleeding is suspected, it is necessary to perform a test for occult blood.In microscopic preparations look for parasitesów or their eggs, undigested food residues (such as starch grains, meat fibers, connective tissue fibers). Undigested food debris may indicate a food digestion or absorption disorder. Charcot-Leyden crystals present are characteristic of ulcerative colitis (colitis ulcerosa) or amoebic dysentery. In inflammatory conditions, increased mucus, leukocytesów, epithelial cellsóre observed. In the course of allergic intestinal diseases acidophilic granulocytes are found, and in bleeding into the colon and rectum erythrocytes. Biochemical tests determine the amount of fat, carbohydratesów, pH. A decrease in pH below 6.0 may indicate abnormal absorption and digestion of carbohydratesów. The presence of carbohydratesów (glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, pentose) - may indicate: endocrine insufficiency of the pancreas, deficiencyór disaccharidases of the intestinal brushstroke, ileus syndrome. An increased number of fat globules (cholesterol crystals) may indicate malabsorption syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, celiac disease, cirrhosis. Additional tests can determine the levels of selected digestive enzymesów like chymotrypsin or elastase.

Patient preparation

Before collecting a fecal prób sample, you should purchase a special transport container with a spatula attached to the cap from a pharmacy and prepare a clean, dry vessel (pool or other container) that will serve as a toilet. On the day of collection before prób collection, completely drain the urinary bladder, pass feces into the prepared vessel, use the spatula from the transport container to collect an appropriately sized prób. For ogól examination and virological, bacteriological and mycological tests the size of a hazelnut. For parasitological examination the size of a walnut. If the stool is liquid (diarrheal) the size of the próbka should be 2-3 ml. Regardless of the size of the próbka for examination, feces should be collected from several sites, especially those containing blood, mucus or pus. If parasites are visible in the collected feces, they should be separated from the próbka, rinsed with water and sent to the laboratory in a separate container containing a small amount of physiological sodium chloride solution (NaCl 0.85%) or water. Próbka to the laboratory should be delivered as soon as possible after collection. It can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but after that time it must be stored in an iceówaker. In the period before the test, you should follow your usual diet (give up both weight loss and overeating). If you take medications on a daily basis, you should consult with your doctor whether they can be discontinued. Someóre pharmaceuticals can affect the próbek testing reagents used in the laboratory and, in the case of stool cultures, can have an inhibitory effect on the culture of microorganismsów. If the test is for Campylobacter culture, then the stool should be provided in a carbon transport medium - such as Stuart's medium (a special probów swab with an applicator ending in a swab). Feces should not be refrigerated. Time of delivery to the laboratory should be as soon as possible.

Material: Feces

Interventions

drugs, diet