Generality
Green feces can be the expression of numerous conditions, pathological or not.
Often, this symptom is attributable to completely occasional changes , related to eating or taking certain drugs . In some cases, however, green feces can signal the presence of some gastrointestinal or systemic disorders, especially if this event does not tend to regress within a day or two.
Green feces are predominantly observed when the passage of food ingested through the intestine is too rapid. This is the case, for example, of conditions that lead to the appearance of diarrhea . The accelerated transit does not allow the bile to be metabolized, therefore to give the typically brown color to the faeces.
If the abnormal coloration of the fecal material should be repeated with a certain frequency or for a continuous period, it is advisable to investigate the causes with a careful medical evaluation.
What are
What is meant by Green Feces?
The green feces represent an alteration of the normal brown color of the feces.
This manifestation is frequently observed in the case of diarrhea and in many conditions characterized by the accelerated transit of food through the intestine . The rapid passage of the ingested material does not allow the bile to be metabolized, therefore the dejections remain green, ie they take on the pigmentation of the biliary metabolite as if it had just come out of the gallbladder.
Bile is a dense substance of yellow-green color, which is produced by the liver, preserved in the gallbladder and poured into the intestine, where it favors the digestion and absorption of food lipids.
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 (or gall bladder) .
Stool color: what is normal?
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 escaped from intestinal reabsorption and metabolized by the local flora. The natural color of the faeces is due, in particular, to bilirubin, a substance contained in bile, derived from the degradation of red blood cells.
- 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.
- It should be noted that bilirubin derives, in turn, from a precursor, called biliverdin, which is also present in bile and, sometimes, in faeces, to which it gives a green color. This situation occurs when the intestinal transit is so fast as to cause an incomplete transformation of the biliverdin into bilirubin and derivatives. Green feces are, therefore, a typical expression of diarrhea and of pathological and non-pathological conditions (eg abuse of laxatives) that cause it.
Causes
What are the most common causes of Green Feces?
Green stools are most commonly found in the case of:
- Eating habits;
- Infections of the gastrointestinal tract, including gastroenteritis, giardiasis and salmonellosis;
- Antibiotic based therapies.
Green feces: non-pathological causes
In many cases, green stools should not be a cause for concern, especially when they are sporadic.
Their occasional production can be related, for example, to the abundant consumption of vegetables rich in chlorophyll (a pigment that gives plants their green color, contained above all in spinach, rocket, parsley, green beans and green leafy vegetables in general). Green feces can also be observed due to the presence of green food coloring in the food consumed (such as ice cream or certain soft drinks).
Some green drugs can also cause the intake of some drugs, such as those used for iron supplementation . This coloring is a fairly common side effect of some antibiotic-based therapies, which can alter the normal functioning of the bacterial flora. Feces of green color and soft consistency can also be a reaction to the abuse of laxatives .
Green Feces: possible associated pathologies
If they do not tend to regress within a day or two, green feces can be the indicator of some pathological problems and / or conditions, which typically affect the gastrointestinal system . In most cases, this abnormal excrement staining is related to the presence of an enteric infection or other diseases that cause diarrhea . Even some antibiotic treatments or iron-based supplements can give the same inconvenience.
Green 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 faecal color changes.
Green 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.
Among the causes of a pathological nature related to the symptom of green feces, we should mention some tumors of the intestine, such as that of the colon, which can induce a symptomatology that alternates phases of diarrhea with constipation.
Symptoms and Complications
The green stools manifest themselves with the evident alteration of the color of the excrements. This symptom may occur sporadically (associated with a single episode) or recurrent (up to the resolution of the underlying pathology) depending on the cause.
If the alteration is not attributable to particular dietary modifications or is accompanied by other symptoms - such as diarrhea, constipation, weakness, abdominal pain or dizziness - it is important to promptly report it to your doctor.
Green Feces: which disorders can they associate with?
Depending on the cause, green feces may be associated with other symptoms affecting the gastrointestinal tract.
Among the most common problems to keep in mind we can find:
- Changes in the frequency of defecation (diarrhea or constipation);
- Presence of an excessive amount of mucus;
- Excessive fatigue;
- Loss of appetite;
- Unjustified weight loss;
- Nausea and vomit;
- Abdominal pains;
- Swelling;
- 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 event that the emission of green feces should be repeated frequently and last more than a couple of days, a thorough clinical evaluation is necessary, especially when they are associated with fever or changes in intestinal activity .
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.
The diagnostic procedure to ascertain the causes of green stools includes, first of all, the medical history and the 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 green feces, 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 responsible causes of green 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 to examine 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 green stools.
In many cases, it is not necessary to resort to special care, since these are absolutely temporary disorders, destined to resolve spontaneously. If the faeces are green and all possible pathological causes can be excluded, then it is important to regulate one's diet.
Other times, instead, green feces could be an indication of diseases that require specific therapies for their solution.
To help solve the problem of green stools, the doctor can indicate the intake of lactic ferments to regulate intestinal functions, through the normalization of the bacterial flora.
