There is a lot of knowledge about the stool. The color, shape and smell of the stool are determined by the intestines. Why should I do a stool occult blood test?
The seemingly inconspicuous poop actually has many health signals, such as the firmness, color, shape, etc. of the poop, which can detect signs of some diseases and seek medical assistance to diagnose the problem.
Many people rush to flush and leave after going to the toilet, unwilling to face the results of their excretion; in fact, it is definitely beneficial to stop for a while after going to the toilet and take a look at the excrement.
When it comes to poop, everyone feels disgusting and is reluctant to face it. Poop is mainly from the ingested food through the gastrointestinal tract to digest and absorb the remaining residues and metabolism, exfoliated intestinal wall cells and bile (including bilirubin).
Gastrointestinal problems, large discolored stools
The process of poop formation involves the health of the gastrointestinal tract itself, as well as the coordinated control of nerves, muscles, endocrine and brain, etc. If any link or process has problems or lesions, the first abnormal change is often the shape of poop. with color.
1. Normal stool is yellow-brown
Generally, the stool of a normal adult is yellow-brown, but when the color of the stool changes, it should not be careless, because the color of the stool is also an important indicator of health information.
Second, the stool is dark, be careful of gastrointestinal bleeding
Sometimes due to the diet, the color of the stool will be dark or dark green. People don’t need to worry too much, just adjust the diet a little and it will return to normal. On the contrary, if the color of the stool is dark or dark green for a long time, be careful, there may be gastrointestinal bleeding, it is best to seek medical treatment. Of course, there are many reasons for melena, it may be because you like to eat pig blood, pig blood cake, red meat, or it may also be affected by certain drugs, such as iron supplements, bismuth salts, etc.
After these reasons are excluded, the stool is still black, which may be caused by bleeding from gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, gastric cancer, tumor, etc.
3. Blood in the stool may have hemorrhoids or tumors
If it is red, there are many conditions, it may be hemorrhoids, it may be a tumor. Many people think that if there is blood in the stool, it is mostly caused by hemorrhoids. In fact, blood dripping in the stool is not necessarily hemorrhoids. Some rectal cancers will also appear in the form of dripping blood, but it will not be mixed with the stool . Bleeding again.
Fourth, constipation, diarrhea may also have blood in the stool
The blood- colored stools caused by eating too many red foods such as cherries, watermelons, and tomatoes can be easily observed by everyone. The red stools caused by food will be mixed with the stools and will not spread evenly in the water, unlike hemorrhoids or gastrointestinal tumors. The bleeding will spread evenly when dropped in water. In addition, intestinal inflammation and constipation may also cause bloody stools, such as diarrhea with bloodshots, which may be caused by bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract. Everyone should pay attention but do not be overly nervous.
5. Obstruction of the biliary tract, gray stool
Some people are scared to death when they see green poo, thinking something is wrong. There are two reasons for the color of the stool to appear green: one is eating too many green vegetables; the other is due to indigestion or enteritis, especially when the stool is soft or loose, the most common green stool. If there is gray or gray stool, it is mostly related to the biliary system. For patients with obstructive jaundice, the stools are mostly gray.
Drink plenty of water to help with soft and hard stools
The color of the stool can detect the health of the body, and the hardness and smell of the stool are also important. Too hard or too soft stool is not good. The optimum moisture content of stool is 70% to 80%. It is paste-like or medium-thick banana-like, and it will be easier to discharge.
To make your stools moderately soft and hard, just drink plenty of water, eat foods high in fiber, and exercise, and you can get your stools to the ideal size. Generally speaking, after food enters the human body, it is digested in the stomach, absorbed in the small intestine, and the remaining residues enter the large intestine, and then push to the rectum to accumulate into feces.
Colon health contributes to normal bowel movements
The large intestine plays a very important role in the formation of stool. It mainly recycles the water in the body. In addition to the 2000ml of water supplemented by the human body every day, it also includes 6000ml of water secreted by the gastrointestinal tract (such as gastrointestinal secretions, bile, gastric juice, saliva, etc.), so that the stool accumulated in the rectum will not Too firm and not too runny, making for healthy poop. Conversely, if we drink less than 2000ml of water every day, the lack of water in the large intestine will be absorbed from the stool, and the stool will become harder.
Like the large intestine, the stool itself also has the ability to hold water, but when the human body does not replenish enough water, a water competition will form between the stool and the large intestine. .
Some stools are hydrated enough, but when the large intestine is not functioning well, it can also turn into watery stools. Many people do not know that the hardness of stool is also related to intestinal health. If the water content of normal-colored stool exceeds 90%, it will appear watery when excreted; if the water ratio is about 60%, the stool will be soft and difficult to form. Strips; with lower water content, the stools will be hard, difficult to defecate, possibly constipated, and likely to cause anal lacerations and hemorrhoids to bleed.
Improve constipation from diet and exercise
Constipation is one of the bowel problems that plagues many people. Many people say: as long as you don’t go to the toilet for 3 days, it is “constipation”, but now it is believed that constipation is not based on how long you haven’t gone to the toilet as an evaluation standard. It’s okay to go to the toilet once; on the contrary, it takes a lot of effort to suckle when going to the toilet, so that you can complete the major events in life. Even if you go to the toilet every day, it is considered constipation.
To solve the problem of constipation is very simple, as long as you relax when you go to the toilet, drink more water, eat more vegetables and vegetables, and exercise more, you can make yourself smoother every day.
Irritation of the large intestine does not stop, you should seek medical attention in time
Some people have the urge to have a bowel movement but can’t pass it, or they go straight to the toilet after eating. Both of these are gastrointestinal problems, and they can’t pass the bowel movement. This kind of tenesmus symptoms are caused by rectal inflammation. Going to the toilet, but often only a little bit out; as for going to the toilet immediately after eating, it may be irritable bowel syndrome, mainly because the large intestine is oversensitive, when it receives the swallowed food, plus emotional stress, etc. Excessive response to stimulation will cause intestinal muscle spasms and produce symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea.
Friends who are troubled in this area, if the situation is serious enough to affect normal life and work, it is best to seek medical treatment.
Eat more fruits and vegetables, the stool is not easy to smell
The smell of stool is also an important indicator. High-quality and healthy stool will not taste too heavy; on the contrary, it will stink into the sky. The smell of feces is mainly caused by the incomplete digestion of the food eaten, and some are because there are many bacteria in the human gastrointestinal tract, such as Escherichia coli, Clostridium, etc., which use the food in the intestinal tract to decompose, like eating meat and beans. Such as protein foods, it is easy to produce ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, skatole and other unpleasant gases when decomposed; but starch, vegetables and vitamins will not produce odor after decomposition.
In fact, there is no certain standard for the smell of poop, as long as it is within the range that you can tolerate, it means that your intestines are still healthy.
The above are all common stool problems. If you find abnormal stools, it is best to go to the hospital to find a gastroenterologist for detailed examination, early detection and early treatment.
If there are no symptoms, it does not mean that there is absolutely no problem. For example, a right colon tumor will not affect the color, shape and frequency of the stool. It cannot be observed with the naked eye and must be found by special inspections.
Why do a fecal occult blood test?
In recent years, the number of people suffering from colorectal cancer in China has increased significantly, and stool contains blood, which is usually invisible to the naked eye. Biochemical examination of stool can detect a small amount of blood in stool. For early detection of colorectal cancer, stomach cancer or other gastrointestinal diseases.
Fecal occult blood test is very important. According to statistics, the early detection rate of colorectal cancer is only about 20%, which is far behind developed countries. This shows that our prevention of colorectal cancer is still insufficient. In fact, people over the age of 30 can have an annual physical examination for fecal occult blood testing, and after 40, colonoscopy can be considered.
Many people think that colorectal cancer is not difficult to find, as long as you pay more attention to the stool, you can detect it and go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. But in fact, not all colorectal cancers will appear in the form of bloody stools. If it occurs in the left rectum, it may manifest as anemia. When severe anemia is sent to the hospital for treatment, the condition is quite serious.
Regular fecal occult blood testing can reduce colorectal cancer mortality by 18% to 33%.
Normal stool means that the gastrointestinal tract must be normal?
That’s not necessarily true. For example, if there is cancer in the stomach or large intestine, if there is no erosion and bleeding, the appearance of the stool may be normal, and it may even be normal if there is an occult blood reaction. Therefore, the cause of blood in the stool or occult blood must be identified, and even if the stool is normal, it may be normal. This cannot be taken lightly.