Generality
Yellow feces are a symptom that can be caused by many factors.
Sometimes, this phenomenon is due to completely occasional changes related to the intake of certain drugs or food. In other cases, however, if the appearance of yellow stools does not tend to regress within a day or two, it may signal the presence of more severe disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by a difficulty in digestion .
Yellow feces are found mainly as an expression of reduced fat digestion or accelerated transit of food ingested through the intestine.
Therefore, if the anomalous staining of the faecal material should be repeated frequently or for a continuous period, it is appropriate to investigate the causes with a careful medical evaluation.
Did you know that…
The color of the stools is a signal of the state of health not only of the digestive tract, but also of the organs involved in the digestive process: liver, pancreas and gallbladder .
Yellow Feces: what they are
The yellow feces can represent an indication of some problems and / or conditions of pathological character, which typically affect the gastrointestinal system .
When the sign occurs sporadically, it should not be a cause for concern and, often, it is not necessary to resort to special care. Occasional production of yellow stools can be related, for example, to the abundant consumption of white or beige colored foods, such as rice or potatoes, or to taking certain drugs . This manifestation is frequently observed even in the case of diarrhea and malabsorption syndromes .
Other times, however, yellow feces could be an indication of diseases that require targeted treatments for their solution. Among the conditions that may be associated with this symptom are some liver diseases (such as various types of hepatitis), pancreas (eg chronic pancreatitis) and biliary tract (including gallbladder stones, cholecystitis and biliary cirrhosis).
What is the color of the faeces due to?
Understanding the composition of faeces is a fundamental step to understand the causes of their color alteration .
The stools are composed of 75% water and the remainder from bilirubin, fats, proteins, undigested or indigestible food (this is the case of dietary fiber and cellulose), bacteria, cells of the digestive tract and mucus.
As a rule, the color of the stools is brownish brown, more or less dark, although it may vary depending on the digested foods. This characteristic is mainly due to the presence of bile pigments . The natural color of the faeces is due, in particular, to the bilirubin secreted by the liver, preserved in the gallbladder, and then introduced into the intestine.
At the intestinal level, bilirubin is transformed first into urobilin, then into stercobilin by the intestinal bacterial flora: it is this latter substance which gives the faeces its characteristic brown color.
Causes
The yellow feces are mainly due to a reduction in the quantity of bile pigments, which normally give them a more or less brown color.
Sometimes, this phenomenon is associated with completely occasional changes related to the intake of foods that contain yellow or orange pigments, such as carotene (carrots, apricots, etc.). In other cases, however, if the yellow stools do not tend to regress within a day or two, they can signal the presence of more severe disorders.
Biliary tract and related causes
Yellow or very light-colored stools can be related to the reduction in the amount of bile salts in them. This could be due to liver disease, gall bladder or pancreas.
GALLBLADDER
The persistence of the yellow feces can be a sign of problems of an obstructive nature, which prevent the bile from reaching the intestine. The reduced quantity of bile salts that reaches the intestine can cause a bad digestion of the fats ingested with the diet that are expelled as they are.
Therefore, yellow feces can be a symptom attributable to:
- Gallstones (these concretions may form, for example, as a result of cirrhosis or blood disorders);
- Cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation);
- Inflammation of the bile duct ( cholangitis ), caused by bacterial infections or gall bladder stones;
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile duct disease, supported by chronic inflammation);
- Biliary cirrhosis ;
- Cysts located in the bile ducts;
- Atresia, fibrosis or stenosis of the biliary tract;
- Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).
These pathological conditions generally also cause other types of symptoms, including acute pain affecting the area, fever, itching, jaundice (yellowing of the sclerae and skin) and nausea.
LIVER
The yellow stools can depend on a liver disease, which can reduce the concentration of bile salts, which are essential for the digestive process. In particular, the liver may not produce enough bile (insufficient excretion) or its flow is blocked due to gallstones.
The yellow feces can also be a symptom of:
- Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis);
- Hepatic cirrhosis ;
- Jaundice secondary to an increase in bilirubin (this condition occurs in people who have liver problems or suffer from a form of hepatitis);
- Liver tumor .
PANCREAS
If the feces are yellow, smelly and greasy due to the considerable quantity of unassimilated fat ( steatorrhea ), a pancreatic disease could be involved:
- Pancreatitis;
- Some cancers;
- Congenital insufficiency of lipase synthesis (enzymes secreted in the intestine, with which the pancreas participates in the digestion of fats).
Dysfunction and diseases of the intestine
The yellow feces can be found as an expression of problems in the small intestine that involve an increase in the speed of food transit and / or a difficulty in digestion.
These conditions include inflammatory bowel diseases, including:
- Irritable bowel syndrome;
- Ulcerative colitis;
- Crohn's disease.
Yellow feces can also occur in pathological states that interfere with normal nutrient absorption, such as celiac disease (or celiac disease) and other malabsorption syndromes (a set of nutrient absorption disorders during digestion).
Celiac disease is a genetic disease characterized by the restriction of the intestine to properly digest gluten. People who suffer from it often have diarrhea, intestinal spasms and yellow stools, especially when they take gluten-containing foods.
The rapid transit of food through the digestive tract can also be observed in the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) . This disorder is characterized by the ascent of the acid gastric contents towards the esophagus.
In some cases, yellow stools can be a spy symptom of colon cancer .
Infections
The yellow stools can be the consequence of infections of the gastrointestinal tract, including:
- Giardiasis (infectious disease that is contracted from contaminated waters, responsible for a violent yellow diarrhea);
- Tuberculous enteritis;
- Infectious mononucleosis;
- Yellow fever.
Other causes
- If they last over time, yellow stools can be a symptom of cystic fibrosis .
- Yellow feces can also occur in the presence of haematological disorders (eg sickle cell disease, thalassemia, etc.).
- Some scientific studies have shown a link between stool color and emotional factors. Those who suffer from stress or anxiety, in fact, may be more inclined to expel food from the body more quickly, manifesting diarrhea and malabsorption.
- Even those who have been subjected to diagnostic investigations involving the use of barium can eliminate yellow faeces for a few days.
Yellow stools in children
- In the first few days of life, yellow feces can signal the presence of neonatal jaundice . This condition must be managed with the help of the pediatrician.
- During breastfeeding, the feces can take on very different characteristics depending on the intestinal bacterial flora and the type of feeding (both of the child and of the mother). In the post-birth period (after 3-4 days), it is common for faecal material to be bright yellow or mustard: this is a sign that the baby is taking enough breast milk. The normal brown color is taken when, after weaning, solid foods are taken.
- During childhood, yellow feces can accompany gastroenteritis diarrhea or all diseases or dysfunctions that lead to an increased intestinal food transit speed. This event can also indicate an intolerance or a food allergy .
Symptoms and Complications
The yellow stools manifest themselves with the evident alteration of the color of the excrements. This symptom may occur, depending on the underlying cause, as a sporadic manifestation (associated with a single episode), continuous or recurrent (it takes until the underlying pathology is resolved).
Possible associated disorders
The yellow stools can be associated with other symptoms that affect the intestine and the digestive tract, usually depending on the causes that caused the event in question.
Among the most common we can find:
- Presence of an excessive amount of mucus;
- Fatigue;
- Swelling;
- Diarrhea;
- Constipation;
- Loss of appetite;
- Nausea and vomit;
- Abdominal pains;
- Widespread itching;
- Jaundice;
- Flatulence.
Did you know that…
The color, texture and shape of the stools reveal information on the condition of the organism and on the correct functioning of the digestive system. For this reason, it is advisable to check faecal waste daily.
Diagnosis
In the case in which the emission of yellow feces should repeat itself frequently and last over a couple of days, a thorough clinical evaluation is necessary, especially when they are associated with fever or changes in intestinal activities .
Indeed, important problems can be hidden behind this symptom. For this reason, it is of fundamental importance to act with a timely and, of course, correct diagnosis.
First of all, the diagnostic procedure involves anamnestic analysis and objective examination of the patient.
The doctor may ask you to carry out further investigations, which may include both blood and urine tests and the examination of the stools themselves.
Laboratory tests
In the evaluation of the causes of this symptom, the chemical-physical exams (malabsorption), culture (bacterial infection) and parasitological examinations of faecal material are useful.
Furthermore, in the presence of yellow stools, it is advisable to also perform general blood tests, such as:
- Hemochromocytometric (to exclude anemias);
- Liver function test;
- Pancreatic enzymes dosage.
The search for occult blood in the stool can be performed to look for blood loss from the gastrointestinal tract.
Other surveys
To determine the causes responsible for the yellow stools, the doctor can indicate the execution of:
- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGDS) : endoscopic examination that allows the visualization of the inside of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum;
- Colonoscopy : allows examination of the inside of the colon, identifying polyps or cancerous lesions;
- CT or MRI : imaging studies useful to highlight some neoplastic lesions.
Treatment
As for the treatment, the options vary depending on the cause that led to the appearance of the yellow stools.
In many cases, these are absolutely temporary disorders, destined to be resolved without the need to resort to specific therapies. Other times, however, yellow feces could be an indication of diseases that require targeted treatments for their solution.
To resolve the problem of yellow stools, in general, the doctor indicates the adoption of a "blank" diet, with low seasoned foods and the intake of lactic ferments to regulate intestinal functions, through the normalization of the bacterial flora.
Should the diagnosis of celiac disease be confirmed, it is essential to start the deprivation diet as soon as possible, to normalize the mechanisms of intestinal absorption.
